Through the Eternities
by Unseen Lurker
Summary: You are one in a million, Little one. Where the vast majority remain ignorant of the true vastness of existence, you can freely explore it. Where others see boundaries, you see only new places to reach. This is your right, but beware, for... Ruby, pay attention. And stop trying to set my tail on fire.
1. Chapter 1

_**So, here we are again, at the beginning of a new story.**_

 _ **As usual, special thanks go to my good friend Chaos Productions for his input and help in shaping my tales.**_

 _ **I find the amount of Magic cross-overs here on fanfiction to be severely lacking. I have taken steps to fix that with my other story, and End to Corrosion (which WILL be continued in time. For those of you've who liked it, be patient, it's a work in progress), and a while back, this little idea popped into my mind, so I decided to make it happen.**_

 _ **I have a story where Ruby's pretty much her canon self.**_

 _ **I have a story where she's almost the complete opposite.**_

 _ **So why not one where she's somewhere in between?**_

 _ **And thus we have Trough the Eternities.**_

 _ **See what you guys think about it.**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

 _ **/**_

It was the end of Fall, and Winter was fast approaching.

All throughout the island of Patch, most of trees had already shed their foliage, giving the usually idyllic looking forest that covered the land a rather bleak appearance. Grey clouds gathered overhead, blotting out the sun and further turning the landscape into the image of a desolate waste. No sound could be heard, not the song of birds, not the rustling of the wind through the trees, as if the forest slumbered to escape the coming cold. A silence that was suddenly broken by the faint squeaking of turning wheels.

A small figure trudged through a trail in the forest, a young girl, with hair that shone like gold arranged into a pair of adorable pig-tails, and eyes of pure Lilac that gazed at the path ahead with steely determination. She was far away from the beaten path, and certainly far away from any place that a child her age should be. Not that the girl cared about that, mind you. No, Yang Xiao Long was a girl on a mission.

Not too long ago, the seven-year old had come to learn about some unpleasant truths.

Her Mother, Summer Rose, the woman she and her little sister Ruby adored, who had always been there for them when she could, had gone away on a mission, and never returned.

But, as revealed by their heart-broken Father, Summer was not her Mother, only Ruby's.

Her true Mother, Uncle Qrow's sister, had left very shortly after she was born.

These revelations had resulted in so many questions… Who was she? What was she like? Why had her Mom left Dad? Why had she left her?

No answers were forthcoming. Dad, broken as he was by losing someone he loved yet again, simply shut down when asked, and Uncle Qrow would just avoid or quickly change the subject, even when he was acting funny after drinking. It frustrated little Yang to no end.

Soon, the blonde decided that if they wouldn't tell her, then she'd find out by herself.

She searched everywhere she could, from old photo albums to asking the neighbours. Most of the time nothing came of it, but eventually her persistence paid off. A framed picture hidden away in their attic gave her a lead, a hint of a place where she might find traces of her quarry.

And now, after waiting for both Dad and Uncle Qrow to be away from home, that place was her destination.

The young girl sighed as she briefly stopped to rest and look again at the picture to gain her bearings.

Yup, the woods around seemed to match, she was on the right track.

A slight shuffling made her look back to the small cart she had been dragging, where a red cloak covered the sleeping form of her little Sister, who was adorably turning in her sleep. The older sister couldn't help the soft smile that spread through her face at the sight, though it was soon replaced with a conflicted expression. Not for the first time, the blonde wondered if bringing the toddler along had been the best idea, but quickly squashed the notion.

Above all else, Yang had to find the truth about her Mother, and there was no way she could leave Ruby alone with no one to care for her, so this was the only option.

Really, what was the worst that could happen?

So thinking, the little girl ignored her growing exhaustion and pressed forward into the darkening woods, turning wheels once more breaking the eerie silence.

/

'Well, this is it…'

As the sun was growing lower in the horizon, they had arrived at a house in the woods, a place that had obviously not seen human visitors for many years, looking so rundown that a breeze might send the whole thing crumbling down.

But even if it had grown old, it was definitely the place of the picture.

Despite being so tired she could barely stand, the young girl grinned in excitement.

A couple of minutes to rest, and she'd be looking up and down the place. She was one step…

"Grrrrr…"

Her excited musings were interrupted by a vicious, monstrous snarl, and three pairs of baleful points of light that pierced the darkness of the entryway.

...No.

Yang's eyes widened as a dark figure seemed to step forth from the shadows themselves, confirming the fearful thought blonde fervently wished was wrong. A large, lupine creature, covered in pitch-black fur, adorned with protuberant spikes, plates of white bone and a skull-like face, whether it was a mask she truly could not tell, glared at her with hateful eyes, red as blood. Two smaller creatures followed it out of the darkness, flanking the obvious leader of the pack.

Grimm. There they stood, growling and drooling, as if to mock her resolve to find this place where answers might be found.

The young girl gritted her teeth in desperate frustration. Not now, not when he was so close…

"…Big Sis?" A quiet, mumbled voice spoke, filling her heart with unadulterated dread.

Oh, no. Nononononono…

With growing horror, the blonde dared to spare a single quick glance behind her. Little Ruby was awake, sitting on the cart as she drowsily rubbed the last remnants of sleep out of her eyes.

"Where're we…?" The younger girl mumbled once again, as she drowsily glanced at her surroundings with an adorably confused expression. Then the growling grew louder, drawing her attention to the beasts standing a few meters away, all drowsiness quickly leaving her face.

"Yang…?" She repeated, only this time in a tone of uncertainty and fear.

As if reacting to their growing terror, the largest of the beasts stalked forward, eyes alight with mindless, hateful malice, a guttural growl reverberating through its muzzle, almost mocking, as if daring these little morsels that had wandered into its lair to try and run.

It was then the full weight of the desperation of their situation truly dawned on Yang. Two girls in the middle of the woods, all alone, one too young to do anything, the other too exhausted, no other human beings even remotely close, faced with the bane of Mankind…

What had she been thinking?!

And just as it seemed it couldn't get any worse, her terror reached a whole new level, when she realized the monster wasn't even looking at her.

No, its eyes were firmly locked on the frightened Ruby.

Exhausted, and knowing that even if she wasn't it wouldn't make the slightest difference, all that Yang could do now was stand between her sister and the approaching monster, glaring a desperate glare at the approaching dark figure.

The Beowolf stopped, staring down at the blonde child that stood in its shadow as if only now noticing she was there. For a few long moments it made no movement other than slightly turning its head…

…Then it knocked her away with a contemptuous swipe of its claws.

"YANG!" Ruby cried out in helpless horror, as she saw her Big Sis crying out in pain and flying through the air, small flickers of red following her.

What was going on?! This should not be happening. It was all wrong. Monster shouldn't be hurting them. Big Sis shouldn't be bleeding.

The blonde girl hit the ground, and the two smaller beowolves began stalking towards her. Dazed, Yang struggled to lift her head, gazing at her younger sister with a guilty, anguished expression.

"Run… Ruby, please… Run…"

A shadow fell upon the red-cloaked girl, and fearfully she looked up.

There she was, the lamb before the wolf, and the dark beast let loose a howl of pure, primal hate.

Then, it raised its arm, fully intend on crushing the helpless girl before it.

"RUBY!" Came her sister's terrified shout, as the creature swung.

In another time and place, help had arrived before things got to this point.

In another time and place, little Ruby might have run, and found help from unlikely sources.

In this here and now, the young girl was frozen in fear, wide silver eyes staring at her impeding demise.

'No. No… This is all wrong. It shouldn't be like this… Help. Yang. Mom. Dad. Uncle Qrow. Anyone. Please help. Stay away. Run away. No, Help, Mom, Dad, AnyoneNononoStayawayIdontwantotdiepleasegetawaypleaseanyonehelpmegetawaypleaseHELPME!'

And it was then it happened.

A miracle.

A one in a million.

For when faced with this horrific moment of inescapable terror, when her desperate plea for escape or salvation echoed throughout her heart, her mind and her Soul…

…A Spark within the very core of her being ignited in response.

Ruby yelled out her panic, and as the beowolf's claws were about to make contact, a mighty flash of light made the world go white.

The Beowolves howled in disorientation and pain, as if the brilliance was scorching to them. Even Yang was forced to cover her eyes.

As quickly as it appeared, the light faded, and the blond hesitantly looked up, hoping against hope that her little sister was alright.

Her heart sank at what she witnessed.

The Beowolf Alpha lied on its back, its jaws open in an expression of shock and agony, its body stiff yet crumbling, as if it had somehow been burned to cinders and then frozen almost instantly.

All around the little red cart, myriad rose petals were scattered, and a small pile of them stood atop it.

But of Ruby herself, there was not sign.

No…Please, No…

So absorbed was the injured blonde in the scene, that she didn't even notice the other two beowolves recovering from the disorientation the light had caused them. Noticing their alpha was no more, the beasts lost all pretence of restraint, pouncing on the remaining young girl.

A flash of steel passed between them, and as the figure of a positively wrathful Uncle Qrow passed between them, the beasts faded into black smoke, dying so fast they hadn't even realized it.

The creeps that had dared to harm his niece dealt with, the fury on the raven-haired man's face quickly turned to concern as his eyes fell on the girl, and immediately he was by her side, checking for injuries.

"Hey, squirt." He said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "Damn, you took a nasty hit, but it doesn't seem too serious. It'll leave a mark, for sure, but you'll live…"

The girl didn't answer. She didn't respond to his prodding. She didn't even seem to notice he was there.

As the man looked in the direction she was blankly looking at, a sudden dread began building up inside him.

Oh, No…

"Yang." Despite all his efforts, Qrow's jovial tone cracked. "What was that light just now? And where's Ruby?"

At this, the girl finally moved, crawling over towards the empty cart. Slowly, fearfully, she reached out and grabbed some petals in her hands.

She stared at the little pieces of flowers in her palms.

Red.

Red like blood.

Her sister's blood.

All because of her.

Tears that had been barely restrained until now flowed freely, as what little control she had left vanished and Yang broke down crying.

Understanding what this meant, Qrow gritted his teeth in anguished frustration as he reached out to hold the devastated girl.

He had been too late.

Ruby was gone.

/

Somewhere else, Winter had seemingly never stopped.

It never did in the Dragon's Throat.

Roiling winds and snow passed over a truly desolate landscape of craggy terrain and frozen tundra, and with their passing a perpetual wailing sound could be heard throughout the land.

In the skies above, dark clouds thundered across the skies, blanketing them in massive yet distant storms. If one strained their eyes, they could almost glimpse at something moving within the dark nimbus. Then, through the mighty thunder crash, a figure burst through the misty cold, a green, furred, primal looking reptilian beast, its form shimmering from some inner source of heat, a row of antlered horns adorning its head, and reptilian wings keeping the creature aloft in the air currents. Seemingly realizing that it had come to be, the creature roared to the heavens to mark its presence in the world, and then set the skies alight with a massive stream of scorching, devouring green flames. After a few exultant, almost playful, twists and turns through the air, the beast turned and headed south, in answer to some unseen call. Hunger, most likely.

The being was a dragon, and on Tarkir its kind ruled supreme.

Wherever the Storms went, there they followed in its wake.

Down beneath this spectacle of the skies, a gargantuan crevice split the tundra, its teeth jutting out to the heavens like the gaping, hungering maw of the world itself. Near the canyon's gaping edge, a strange structure stood, a gargantuan, rocky formation, which jutted out in as spiral towards the sky, almost as a winding stairways to reach above the clouds.

At this place, if one travelled deep within this wound on the world, they'd find ruins could be seen, shattered remnants of what once had appeared to be strange, geometrical constructions, with walls inscribed with strange runes and symbols. A passer-by that considered them otherworldly would likely never know just how right he was.

And right now, a being lay amongst these ruins.

A figure so alike the one who had just come into being far above, and yet so different.

Majestic couldn't begin to describe it.

It was much larger, for one, with a long, sleek, almost serpentine body, its every move sinuous and graceful, and yet strangely humanoid in purpose.

Its whole form shone in an ethereal, jade green, and with each movement it made, each little shift in position or measured movement of a clawed hand, it shimmered and left wispy trails of mist behind, as if it was not fully corporeal.

Its pinions were massive, each almost a large as its body, and they were feathered, the majesty of a hawk rather than the foreboding of a bat.

Pleats of scaled skin, carved with runes, jutted from the sides of its long neck, giving it an appearance not unlike a hooded cobra's. Large, almost crystalline horns sprouted from the top of its head, jutting out to the sides before curling backwards at the tips, giving the whole ensemble an appearance not unlike a crown.

And its eyes, rather than savage or vicious, shone with an intelligence and wisdom that was far, far more than human.

The dragonling above had been a new-born, while this one was ancient beyond measure.

Indeed, it was because of Ugin that all the other dragons on the plane of Tarkir could exist. He was their forefather, their progenitor, their beginning and if circumstances hadn't been altered by the actions of another, their end.

But above all else, Ugin was a Planeswalker. One of the select few who could cross the chaotic nothingness of the Blind Eternities and walk upon the countless worlds of the Multiverse.

And right now, he was annoyed.

Ages ago, the dragon a worked alongside two fellow Planeswalkers, the vampire Sorin Markov and Nahiri the lithomancer, in order to contain a grave threat to every plane of existence, the world devouring Eldrazi.

An agreement had been made between that should the eldritch beings ever threaten to escape their containment on Nahiri's home plane of Zendikar, they'd reconvene to prevent that from happening.

He never had the chance to, for shortly after that debacle, he had been ambushed in his own plane by fellow draconic Planeswalker Nicol Bolas, who believed him a threat to his power.

The battle had been fierce, the skies trembled and the wrath of Tarkir itself had been brought to bear against his foe, but in the end through deceit and treachery, Bolas had bested him, striking him down and leaving him for dead.

And die he did… or at least would have, if the time-travelling Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol had not intervened and saved him, stopping an entire timeline from ever coming to pass.

Still, his wounds were grievous, and for a millennia Ugin slumbered to recover.

Only very recently did his old ally Sorin release him from this sleep, and he had brought with him grave news.

In his absence, the Eldrazi had been released, due to the manipulations of Bolas, as Vol later informed him.

Immediately, the Spirit Dragon sent the vampire to find their third ally, for without her containment would be impossible, and immediately headed for Zendikar.

There, he met Jace Beleren, a younger Planeswalker, one of those who had been responsible for the Eldrazi's escape, who had since been searching for ways to undo his mistake. The dragon had imparted upon him the knowledge needed to trap the Titans, and urged him against his goal of slaying them, for despite the monstrosity of their ways, despite the countless worlds that had been lost to their mindless hunger, the creatures were still a part of the Multiverse, and their destruction may well result in devastating consequences.

His warnings went unheeded.

And against his expectations, Beleren and his allies actually managed to vanquish the two lesser Titans, Ulamog and Kozilek.

Zendikar had been saved, but the demise of the Butcher of Truth and the Infinite Gyre echoed throughout the Blind Eternities, and Ugin feared that, no matter how long it took, the consequences would be felt indeed.

As much as the dragon couldn't fault the newest generation of Planeswalkers for their desire to save those in need, their short-sightedness angered him, and he had made his displeasure known to them even has he congratulated their success.

Truly, there was no force in all the Multiverse more dangerous or capricious than Planeswalkers. So many times before had such recklessness brought about disaster…

But now, the situation still had one loose end to deal with.

Emrakul, the last and mightiest of the Eldrazi Titans, had not been present for the debacle in Zendikar, having abandoned the plane a good while before.

And despite his best efforts, despite all his divinations, any attempts at tracking her had failed. The implications were foreboding to say the least.

Had the Aeons Torn felt the demise of her brethren?

Was she actively masking her presence?

Such possibilities merited further investigation, but where to sta-

Suddenly, the dragon's musings were interrupted by a loud, neighing noise that carried over the howling wind. Looking up, Ugin quickly identified the culprit.

An ethereal figure crossed the skies above. Rather than wings, the creature that resembled some strange cross between deer, horse and goat ran through the air, tendrils of alabaster light following in its wake.

A kirin, he noted. Mystical creatures, as old as he and just as much a part of Tarkir. They were also elusive, and only ever revealed themselves to herald the arrival or departure of beings of significance.

So, what brought this one here?

As if to answer, the wards he had placed around his Sanctum flared to life, and the spectral sentries he had deployed began converging in a point in the tundra not too far from where he now stood.

A Planeswalker had made his or her way into Tarkir, and a powerful one at that if his senses did not deceive him.

The dragon frowned. Had Bolas returned to ensure his demise? No, powerful as the mana signature he was feeling was, it didn't hold a candle to his old foe.

As far as he knew, Vol and Narset were still on Tarkir, and they wouldn't be separating anytime soon by his reckoning.

Beleren and his allies knew better than to approach him for the time being, and Sorin knew better than to return without Nahiri in tow.

So the newcomer wasn't likely to be anyone he was familiar with, but that just meant he had no way of gauging their intentions.

With but a thought, Ugin commanded his sentries not to approach the intruder.

He'd see for himself what this was about.

Avian pinions stretching wide, the dragon took to the skies, and swiftly made his way northwest, where he sensed the new arrival.

Where the kirin had been heading towards, he noted.

As he flew, his eyes scanned the land, looking for signs of the intruder's presence.

There. A spot of Red against the stark white of the snowy tundra.

As he approached, however, his draconic senses caught something that confused him, something that he really wasn't expecting to hear.

'…Crying?' The dragon thought in slight bewilderment.

The spot grew to become a bright red hooded cloak that covered a small figure that was slumping forward, its hands covering its face as it sobbed in apparent distress.

Ugin landed a slight distance away from this curious sight, as softly as he was able, and still the winds caused by the beat of his wings drew the hooded being's attention. The form looked up, the red hood falling back…

And the Ancient Dragon found himself gazing at a pair of small, teary silver eyes, which stared back uncertainly.

A slight widening of his own was the only outward sign of the surprise Ugin felt.

…A child? The power he had felt, the one that could match veteran sorcerers, was coming from this human youngling?

He observed the child further. A girl, with a pale complexion and dark hair that reddened at the tips. Her clothes were of a style that somewhat reminded him of his vampiric ally, maybe she was a denizen of his home plane of Innistrad?

The young one's face was stained with trails of tears, and even now as she stared up at him in undisguised awe, the occasional sniffle could be heard.

Observing all this, Ugin quickly understood.

She had just Planeswalked for the first time, and had found herself on Tarkir, so close to his lair, by mere chance.

The Dragon could feel some sympathy for her. The igniting of the Spark, caused by deep emotional and physical stress, was seldom a pleasant affair. All the signs pointed to this being yet another such case, and for it to happen to one so young…

He also couldn't help but notice that, as scared and confused as she looked, the girl didn't seem to feel threatened by him.

Curious…

"Greetings, Little one." He greeted politely. Her eyes widened at hearing his voice and she seemed to shrink upon herself.

"Don't be afraid, Little one, I mean you no harm." He ventured again, trying to sound as non-threatening as a dragon could. Ancient and wise as he was, Ugin had to admit he had little knowledge of how to interact with children, his dealing with Sorin and Nahiri's bickering aside.

His words seemed to work though, as the girl dared to look at him once more, and the Spirit Dragon raised an eyebrow as her expression grew annoyed, and her cheeks seemed to puff up.

It was… strangely endearing.

"M' not little." She mumbled petulantly. "M' Ruby."

"Hhm?" Ugin prodded.

"Ruby Rose. That's my name. I am 4 years old!" The girl introduced herself with a cheer, her mood switching so fast Ugin found himself caught a bit off guard. He considered the name. It didn't seem to follow naming conventions of any plane he was familiar with, but it did seem fitting.

"Who are you?" The girl asked interrupting his musings, and replacing them with new ones. Who was he? Not "what" or "where am I"?

He decided to indulge her.

"I am Ugin, little Rose."

The young one blinked, then tilted her head, her eyes never leaving him.

"No, you're not."

…

…

"…Beg pardon?" The dragon asked at length, the quick denial throwing him for a loop.

"You're not, Silly." She replied with a giggle. Then she got up and began walking towards him, somewhat unsteadily, but without a trace of hesitation. Then she latched on to his leg.

"Now you are!" She exclaimed cheerfully as she grinned up at him.

...It took longer than Ugin cared to admit to process this unusual interaction and the boldness of this little thing.

An expression somewhere between bemusement and annoyance on his face, the Spirit Dragon moved his tail, placing its tip between the girl and himself in an effort to dislodge her. She latched on to it, and was carried slightly above the ground back to the spot she had previously occupied, kicking at the air and giggling all the while.

"Not hugging, Child, Ugin. My name is Ugin." The dragon replied sternly, making sure to enunciate so she's understand. "Now then, Ruby… Do you know how did you come to be here?"

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. Slowly, her cheerful expression shifted to confused, and then steadily back to frightened.

"I… I don't know…" She whispered uncertainly. "There… There was a girl, she was hurt… and… a monster… and I just wanted to get away…"

Her Spark had ignited in the awake of an attack by some creature, which had likely ended the life of this other girl accompanying her. Physical danger and emotional stress, two of the main criteria for such events.

"Do you know where you lived?"

The question set the girl to thinking, and for a few long minutes she remained silent, and expression of effort on her small, pale face.

"N-no…" The finally replied, in a tone of defeat, bordering on panic, tears once again threatening to spill from her eyes. "I don't know…"

It would seem that the trauma she had suffered had led to a mild amnesia, a reaction Ugin had witnessed a few times before. Sometimes the mind was made to forget in an effort of self-preservation.

Seeing the girl like this, once again on the brink of tears, stirred a strange feeling in the Spirit Dragon, an uncomfortable sensation at being the one who had made those tears flow.

What could he do, though?

Briefly, he pushed his senses out into the Eternities, hoping to find the path she had walked to find herself here, but it was no use, the trail had long since gone cold.

The girl had avoided the immediate danger she was in, only to fall into a whole Multiverse of them. Young as she was, the odds of survival were nigh non-existent. And while the raw power she unknowingly exuded spoke of a potential for magic seldom seen in any place he knew, without learning control it would just be a danger, and for now it just made things worse, for it would draw to the child those who would seek to use it for their own ends.

Her future looked bleak. Unless…

…

…Not so long ago, the Spirit Dragon had berated the recklessness of the younger Planeswalkers, berated the rashness in which they took action, their knack for not thinking ahead and considering the consequences of their actions.

…What if he taught her?

Beleren had not heeded his wisdom, not entirely at least, but maybe if he taught this one from her tender age… Taught her how to use Magic, how to think, how to respect the balance of all things in existence…

The girl would live, and the Multiverse might yet have another force ensuring its continued existence.

…Yes, there was merit to the idea.

And while many had sought out Ugin's wisdom throughout the Ages, never had the Spirit Dragon taken on a student. It could come to be an enlightening experience, for the both of them.

Yes, this course of action felt like the correct one, the dragon concluded with a nod.

"Well, then, Little Rose, would you like to come with me?"

"U-uh?" The girl eloquently replied in confusion, after briefly rubbing her eyes to stop the incoming tears.

"I may not know where you come from, but I know what you are. After all, you and I are the same. Our kind is known as Planeswalkers."

"Planalkrs?"

"Planeswalkers, Little one. We are very few, but we can do something no one else can." The dragon lectured. "For we can travel through the many planes of the Multiverse. I don't know where you come from, but I know that now you're on Tarkir, my home realm."

At this the girl finally seemed to register her surroundings, first looking around at the tundra, and then gazing up at the sky, where a Dragon Storm was beginning to rage, her expression once again of awe.

"You have taken your first step into a much larger world, Little Rose. But you are young an unprepared. If you wish, I could teach you what you need to know, what you need to survive."

"A-and what is that?" She inquired uncertainly. She was not entirely trusting, clever.

"Magic." He replied.

"Magic?!" She exclaimed with that excited anticipation only a child could pull off.

"Indeed." Was his answer, the runes along his neck flaring as he called upon the mana of the world, just a small trickle of it.

In front of the girl, the small, misty form of a dragon appeared, flying around her as she stared in shock.

"Wooooow…"

"So, what say you, Little Rose?"

Apparently his approach had been the correct one, as Ruby seemed to forget all the things that where bothering her and looked up at him with unrestrained glee and excitement.

"Yes! Yesyesyes! Please, teach me Magic!"

Ugin couldn't help but marvel at the child's exuberance, for try as he may he could not help but feel affected by it.

"Very well then, Little Rose." He lowered himself to an all fours stance and stretched out his hand, prompting her to sit on it. "Come then, we have much to do."

The girl all but skipped to him, and then they were on their way.

Despite himself, the dragon smiled.

The next few years promised to be rather interesting…

"I'm cold."

…

"We'll find some warmer clothes for you."

"I'm hungry."

"Food as well."

"I need to use the potty."

…

…What had he gotten himself into?

 _ **/**_

 _ **What, indeed.**_

 _ **And there we have it folks. Planeswalker Ruby, raised by one of the Top Dogs of Magic the Gathering, none other than the Spirit Dragon himself.**_

 _ **Those familiar with my other stories will probably know how I tend to remain relatively close to canon while adding my own spin on things. This time around, however, there'll be some bigger changes going on. If you'll allow me a bit of a teaser, you guys are in for quite a big surprise a couple or so chapters down the line. ;)**_

 _ **Hope you guys enjoyed this idea, and I'll cya all on the next one.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sooooo…**_

 _ **I'm back.**_

 _ **Yay?**_

 _ **Howdy folks, how's it going?**_

 _ **Yes, I know, it's been five, nearly six, months since the last update of my stories.**_

 _ **I have been busy, that's all I can say.**_

 _ **But I am back now, at least to bring you this.**_

 _ **Most of you would've probably preferred to see a new update to "Beneath a Broken Moon", right?**_

 _ **Well, rejoice people, because it is next on the list.**_

 _ **And I swear it is not going to take nearly as long to be published.**_

 _ **Now, I've kept you long enough.**_

 _ **The usual shout out to my bro Chaos Productions for his help.**_

 _ **And a quick reminder that I own neither RWBY nor Magic:The Gathering.**_

 _ **And without further ado, enjoy.**_

 _ **/**_

The Dragon Storm raged above the frozen crevasse, the broodlings it spawned twisting and turning through the air currents, completely indifferent to the two figures far below that trudged through the well-hidden, treacherous path through howling winds and large rocky outcrops.

At a bend that opened into a gaping abyss, the first figure paused, looking at the enormous, spiralling structure that was barely visible over yonder.

Eyes that almost seemed to glow with inner fire narrowed slightly as Sarkhan Vol considered the distance.

They'd be at their destination soon.

"What troubles you, Sarkhan?" His companion asked.

He turned to her, the woman he knew and yet didn't, the long black air, the calm brown eyes, the white and golden robes, and the blue cloak embroidered in gold lines so similar and yet so different from what he remembered.

When he had first asked to accompany Narset on her journey to unearth the secrets of this Tarkir's ancient history, things had been tense. He had been aware, even then, that this was not his Narset. That Narset had perished twice over, once at the hand of a formerly fearsome enemy, and once when his actions prevented that course of events. To this Narset, he had been a little more than a myth, a stranger whose familiarity she did not reciprocate and was unnerved by. And although on an intellectual level he had known this, the truth had taken time to sink in.

When it did though, the man lost in time was not discouraged. He'd known her before, and he could again. And despite her misgivings, to his great joy his fellow Planeswalker had given him the chance he so humbly requested.

That had been months ago, and through a series of travels and trials, of challenges and tribulations faced together, Sarkhan and Narset were friends once more.

"I wonder about the reason we've been called." The Dragon Shaman answered in a pondering tone.

Barely a day before, they had been deep in the dark swamplands of Silumgar's brood, walking through the ruins of an ancient, abandoned temple of the decadent, long gone Sultai Clan. There they had been found by a draconic specter, one of the creations of Ugin, the spirit dragon.

Through it, the dragon spoke, with an urgency in his voice that Sarkhan might have considered panic had it come from an inferior being, requesting their presence in his Sanctum immediately.

The summons sounded dire, and the two Planeswalkers rushed to answer the call, fearful thoughts plaguing their minds.

The Spirit Dragon was Ancient. One of the mightiest of the old, Godlike Walkers, that moulded worlds and reality to their whims. On this plane of his Domain, he was a law of Nature unto himself.

What could have worried one such as he so? And what could the two of them possibly do about it that the Elder Dragon could not accomplish himself?

"I do not know, same as you." The woman who could've been a Khan replied. "And that is why we answered the call. Wondering will serve for little until we arrive."

"Hhhm, right as always." Sarkhan said, smiling warmly, which Narset answered in kind, before looking into the distance herself.

"We're close." She said. "We'll be there by nightfall if we keep up the pace."

"Well." The Shaman smirked. "What say you we shorten the trip?"

"Are you up for it?"

Sarkhan reply was a careless shrug.

And a running leap into the abyss.

For a few moments, the man let himself fall, feeling the cold winds batter against him.

Then cold gave way to fire.

His form shifted and grew. Rough scales spread across his skin, his fingers turned into claws. His faced elongated into a tooth-filled reptilian maw, and might wings burst from his back.

Immediately the dragon halted his descent, and propelled himself upwards.

Narset leaped into his back as he passed the path, and the duo took off into the skies, a sight that was ironically nearly unthinkable in this world of theirs.

Barely an hour later, they found themselves at their destination, the entrance to the Sanctum of the Spirit Dragon.

The shapeshifter alighted softly, allowing his passenger to get off before assuming the form of a man once more.

Immediately, one of the phantom sentries came to them.

The two humans couldn't help but share a confused glance.

Were they imagining things, or did it actually look relieved to see them?

And as their ghostly guide led them (rather hurriedly) into the lair, their confusion only increased as they heard the Ugin's voice, followed by a sound that resoundingly did not belong in this place.

Childish giggles.

"Hold still, you little thing!"

"Nahnahnah, can't catch me!"

"You will cease this foolishness immediately!"

"No!"

"Stop making things difficult, little one! It's been three days, you will take a bath!"

"Don't wanna!"

As they finally reached the one who called them, Sarkhan and Narset could only gawk at the sight.

Standing on all fours, the dragon was frantically twisting and turning around, seeking to catch a speeding red blur that weaved and danced around his bulk with ease. Before they could even process what was going on, the blur leapt at the dragon's face, Ugin letting out a yelp of pain as it grabbed on to the braided strand of beard jutting from his chin.

Only then did the Spirit Dragon notice the new arrivals.

He immediately stood up, trying to look as dignified and composed as he always did.

The effect was ruined by the fact that mighty Ugin, normally so majestic and otherworldly, looked positively haggard.

And the Red giggling thing still dangling from his chin.

"Ah, Vol, Narset, I see you have arrived." He said in his calm, wise tone.

The speechless Planeswalkers could only watch as the figure climbed the beard, crossed the dragon's face, and perched itself on his horn…Revealing herself to be a little girl, feet kicking at the air and dainty silver eyes looking down at them with innocent curiosity.

"Hi, I'm Planaklr Ruby! Who are you?!" She asked cheerily.

…

…

"As you can see." Ugin continued, perfectly straight-faced before Sarkhan's shocked incomprehension and Narset's wide-eyed disbelief. "I am in dire need of your assistance."

/

As girl was being kept occupied by a hapless spectral construct, the three older Planeswalkers convened, Ugin explaining the situation.

"And you haven't been able to find her home?" Narset asked, looking at the smiling girl trying to catch the beleaguered warden sympathetically.

"I am afraid Planeswalking is far from an exact science." The Dragon replied. "I was unable to find a trail, and what little she remembers doesn't fit in with any Plane I know of."

"Why not leave her somewhere where she can be taken care of?" Sarkhan brought up. "Any of the Dragon Broods would take her in, or barring that, Ravnica or Alara would be relatively safe havens for her."

"Can you not feel it?" Asked the dragon. "There is something to the girl. She carries much potential. I fear that leaving her to her own devices, she will inevitably draw the attention of dangerous beings."

He levelled a serious look at the man.

"You know as well as I do that Bolas is always looking for pawns."

Sarkhan flinched, a grimace on his face at memories best left behind, as he conceded the point. For a moment, the blood in his veins felt heavier.

"And so, you have chosen to take her on as an apprentice." Narset concluded, quickly drawing the parallels with the practices of the Ojutai she had once been a part of.

"Yes, that did seem like the most reasonable route."

Sarkhan glanced at the child, feeling somewhat dubious. The little slip of a girl looked fragile in nearly every sense of the word… Could she truly carry such potential?

"That is all well and good." He said. "But if that is the case, why call us?"

At that, Ugin looked into the distance, and let out a long-suffering sigh as his shoulders slumped. A tiredness seemed to radiate from him, that for once made him look more old than ageless. Now looking more closely, the Shaman could see what looked suspiciously like bags under the dragon's eyes.

"I know many things." Ugin answered. "It is an inevitable consequence of living as long as I have lived. Some of the biggest and most ancient mysteries about the history and the workings of the Multiverse are known to me."

The Dragon turned his gaze back to the two, utterly serious and just the slightest bit desperate.

"… How to take care of a human youngling is not among them."

Sarkhan and Narset looked at each other, perplexed by the admission.

"And you called us because…?"

"I thought you'd be more knowledgeable about such matters."

"Why would we?"

"Are you two not mates?"

…

…

They did not see the question coming.

Sarkhan sputtered, his mind freezing momentarily at the implications, while a mortified Narset recoiled. Once again, the two Planeswalkers looked at each other, and immediately averted their gaze in an attempt to hide the treacherous blush that spread on their faces.

"What?! No, we…"

"M-Mighty Ugin, that isn't…"

"My apologies if I've presumed too much, I never quite understood the intricacies of Human courtship."

The duo immediately came to the silent agreement that pretending the exchange never happened and a drastic change in subject were required.

"Even so." Ugin did it for them. "The fact remains that she is human and I am not. Interaction with others of her kind would likely be beneficial in her development."

The dragon heaved a sigh, and mumbled something that faintly sounded like "If only to stop her from trying to fly…"

"And I cannot always be with her, there will be periods when I'll be forced to travel, to check on events and projects that were left unattended during my long slumber. One such period will be soon, and other allies I could have asked assistance from are either long gone or entirely unsuited for the task. Sarkhan Vol, Narset… I have no one else that I can turn to. Will you assist me in this?"

The logic of the statement dispelled the finals shreds of Narset's embarrassment. The contents dispelled Sarkhan's.

"You'd ask us to stay, bound to this plane, to act as glorified "Babysitters"?" He demanded, for the first time using the term he'd heard during his planar travels.

"A crass summation." The senior Planeswalker conceded. "But not an entirely inaccurate one."

"With all due respect, Elder One, the answer is n-"

"I'll do it."

"Narset?!" Sarkhan turned, staring at his companion in shock.

"Sarkhan." The woman answered, admonishment in her tone. "I cannot in good conscience abandon a child in need of aid. And I do have some experience in dealing with the young ones."

The Dragon Speaker made to interject, but she was faster.

"Didn't the me from the Unwritten times do the same for you? When you were lost and directionless, trapped in whispers and madness?"

…The question hit the man with all the force of a dragon's fiery breath, burning away his protests and the indignation that caused them.

Damn the way her words always made sense…

"…Very well." He relented grudgingly. "If you will stay… so will I. But I say right now that the brat had better be wort-Where is she?"

Suddenly noticing the lack of exuberant childish noises, the three beings turned.

The girl and the construct were nowhere to be found.

"Oh, not again…" Ugin groaned. "Must I use a tracking spell to keep her in check?"

"This happens often?"

"Every time I let my guard down. She's inquisitive to a fault… Please, spread out to find her, she can't have gone far."

They split up. Ugin took to the skies, Narset began searching through the Sanctum, and Sarkhan checked the wastes closest to it.

It was the later who first found her.

And came across an impossible sight.

He dared not approach.

Unleashing a small pulse of Mana, the agreed upon signal, he led the other two Walkers to the scene.

They were as shocked as he was, Ugin even more so due to recognition.

They witnessed a Kirin, radiant and ethereal, standing on solid ground.

The alabaster creature was nuzzling the girl playfully, making her giggle in delight, while the spectral dragon hovered overhead, powerless to do anything.

It took a few minutes for child and legend to notice their dumbstruck audience.

"Look what I found!" Ruby cheered, hugging the Kirin's muzzle.

…

…

Sarkhan found that his previous misgivings rang rather hollow.

/

Weeks had passed since that meeting.

Ruby settled into this new life with surprising ease.

As sad as it was, there were advantages to her lack of memories.

And Ugin… acclimated himself to this new presence in his immeasurably long life. This easily excitable, overly exuberant, unable-to-keep-still presence…

The aid of Narset and Vol had been even more of a boon than the Spirit Dragon had predicted, aiding him in reigning in the wilful child, while at the same time showing him that some of his measures were not appropriate for dealing with beings of her age.

There was, however, one unforeseen consequence.

The girl, for some unknowable, incomprehensible reason, came to see the Spirit Dragon as a Father.

And nothing he, Sarkhan or Narset could say would convince her otherwise.

Much to his chagrin and consternation, the girl was more stubborn than all of them, and the two humans stopped trying. They even seemed amused at the inane title.

And Ugin was eventually forced to as well, believing that this nonsense would stop when she grew up.

Pretty soon, teaching and training had begun.

And an unusual, curious trait of the child quickly made itself apparent.

Ruby was, for the lack of a better word, born to use White Mana.

The girl shared a bond with the magic of Order and Unity, an attunement that ran down to her very soul.

And this was something that Ugin could work with. The Spirit Dragon may have long ago transcended the use of the Colours, but he still remembered the ancient lessons.

Narset was also more than happy to share the Ojutai teachings she had grown with.

Surprisingly, Ruby proved to be a better pupil than her young age and excitable behaviour suggested. The inquisitiveness that led her to wander off and explore also earned her tutors her undivided attention when explaining the basic concepts of magic… provided they could break it up into simple instructions and avoid the complicated words.

All in all, good prowess was being made.

Which was perhaps why Sarkhan was finding the current situation so odd.

Ugin had left Tarkir a couple of days before, in order to investigate the whereabouts of the Eldrazi Titan Emrakul (and hadn't it been a weight off his shoulders to find out that the mess he had been partly responsible for had been fixed), and as usual, the quickly bored Ruby had wondered off.

By now resigned and used to this, the man was quick to find her.

He just didn't expect to find the girl in the middle of the weird exercise of taking in big gulps of air and violently exhaling them towards the walls of the chasm, pouting in frustration as it clearly wasn't having the intended effect.

"…What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to breathe fire."

"Oh…? And why do you want that?" The man inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Because dragons do it. And I wanna be one!"

"…What?"

"When Dad and Auntie Narset teach me more magic, Imma use it to become a dragon, fly around and spit fire at the monsters and bad guys!"

"…Why?"

"Because dragons are cool!"

…

…What a foolish, inaccurate sentence.

What did body temperature have to do with anything anyway?

Sarkhan couldn't help himself, he began to laugh at the ridiculous, naïve statement.

"What's so funny?" The girl asked, her attempt at an angry frown working only to make him laugh more.

"Well, you certainly have the right temperament." The amused man replied. "But that will never happen."

"Why not?!"

"Because you are too soft." Sarkhan stated seriously. "You are making progress, yes, but your magic is a light one. Powerful, unyielding… And completely lacking in free will or desire. And that is not what being a Dragon means."

A wave of heat began to radiate from the Shaman, a fiery glow springing from his eyes.

"The dragon has no pretense of compassion, no false mask of civilization—just hunger, heat, and need. It is the perfect marriage of power and the will to use it. They fly as they please, burn as they please, do as they please, and they answer to no one."

"…Dad isn't like that."

"Ugin, is a wise and ancient dragon, however he is but one in a species that stands at the top in all the planes where they exist. And has long as you fail to grasp this truth I am telling you, you will never breathe fire, much less be a dragon."

Ruby could only stare at the man with distressed confusion. Some of the words she did not understand, but she did understand what he meant.

She didn't like it one bit.

"You're wrong."

The certainty of the reply, the steel in the voice and stance of one so young, caught Sarkhan off-guard.

"If dragons only do what they want, then I can be one, because what I want to do is to fight the baddies. You'll see, I will be a dragon, someday. I'll fly and I'll breathe fire, and then you'll be sorry for being such a meanie head!"

…

…

Such conviction… Such will…

Once again, Sarkhan laughed. Only this time, there was no condescension in his tone.

"Alright, little brat." The man conceded. "Perhaps there is some fire in you after all. We'll see if it gr-"

The Dragon Speaker was interrupted when the collar he was currently wearing, given to him by Ugin, flared with the ghostly glow of the dragon's magic.

It told him that the sentries had been destroyed, the surrounding wards had activated… And shattered immediately after.

The sanctum had been breached.

"Ruby, we need to return. Now."

Quickly catching on to his tenseness, the girl did not protest as he lifted her up and rushed back to the dragon's lair, through the winding path that had been carved into the cliff's face.

Soon, he was about to reach the Sanctum's main entrance. There were no signs of fighting, but Narset could be heard talking to someone, someone noticeably angry.

He put Ruby down, then knelt.

"Do not move." He said. "Whatever happens, stay hidden. Understood?"

The girl nodded hesitantly.

Satisfied, the man rose and walked towards the voices, just around the bend.

There was Narset, standing before the newcomer.

A female, clad in simple, leather clothes, completely unremarkable.

Only the white of her skin and hair, not decayed or sickly due to age or lack of light, but vibrant, pure white, marked her as something other than human.

Recognition dawned on the man as he observed her.

"What is one of the Kor doing here?" He asked as he approached, drawing their attention.

"Sarkhan." Narset replied, eyes never leaving the new arrival. "She seeks Ugin, but refuses to explain why."

"I do not need to explain myself to you." The Kor replied, her voice full of anger and vitriol, and her stance increasingly more aggressive. "And I have little patience for this. Where is he? Where is Ugin?!"

The two humans tensed, recognizing the threat.

"As I said." Narset replied diplomatically. "The Elder One isn't here at the moment, he left a few days ago. We know not where. If you seek him, you'll either have to wait, or look elsewhere."

The Kor woman smirked. It wasn't a pretty smirk.

"So not only is he liar, now that I come for him he hides behind underlings? How the mighty have fallen." She said, chuckling mockingly. "I wonder how badly I'll have to hurt you for him to show himself?"

It became obvious to the two that words would not get them anywhere. Narset took a stance, while heat began radiating from Sarkhan's form, as he glared at the woman.

"Leave. Now."

The woman smiled tauntingly. Holding her arm out to the side, hand open, a small patch of the ground began to sizzle and glow as it melted into magma. A sword of stone rose, flying slowly into her grip, as the red glow of the blade faded in obsidian black.

The Kor took a stance of her own.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Sarkhan's hands shot forward, shifting and growing as they went.

Twin gouts of flame surged towards the intruder from the draconic maws they'd become.

Unfazed, the Kor made a rising motion with her free hand.

And the ground obeyed.

A large boulder rose in front of her, shielding her from the heat and flames.

And when the onslaught stopped, a flick of the wrist sent the rock flying towards her aggressor.

Sarkhan did not move.

Narset knew what to do.

The scholarly monk intercepted the boulder and slammed her palm into it.

With the simple, precise blow, the large projectile shattered into myriad pieces, the shrapnel flying back at the Kor.

Other than a slightly reduced visibility, she was largely unfazed.

Then the she felt the ground beneath her shifting.

She moved out of the way as a geyser of flames burst out from where she had just stood.

Immediately Narset was upon her, with a swift kick that the intruder barely managed to block.

Just as she barely managed to duck under the swing of Sarkhan's blade staff.

"Interesting." The Kor stated casually, as she dodged another palm strike and retaliated with a swing of her blade that Sarkhan backed away from. "What did Ugin offer you that you'd fight for him like this? What empty promises has he made?"

"Nothing." Sarkhan replied with a growl. "We're here because he requested it."

"The more fool you. He'll just lie and leave you when you've outlived your usefulness. That's all they ever do."

Sarkhan answered the inane statement, not with words, but with a torrent of flames from his gullet.

This did catch the woman off-guard, making her frantically move to avoid the fire… And leaving her completely open to Narset.

The once Khan struck hard at her midsection, sending the Kor flying.

She turned the fall into a landing roll, standing up as she stopped.

"Alright." All traces of casual mirth were gone from her voice. There was only bitter anger. "I am done playing around."

Narset approached to press her assault.

The intruder neatly sidestepped the blow, and then grabbed her by the shoulder.

Suddenly, the ground under the monk lost cohesion, making her sink. Surprised by the development, the woman lost balance, and fell backwards. The earth solidified once again, leaving her trapped, only her head and upper torso free from the rock embrace.

"NARSET!" Sarkhan cried out in concern.

Concern that quickly turned to rage.

His body expanded, shifting and contorting.

Mere moments later, the Kor had to look up to gaze at the wrathful dragon that was now charging towards her.

"How interesting. The perfect opportunity to test these out."

With another rising motion, five rocks shot off from the ground, surrounding the transformed Dragon Speaker in circling patterns.

In each stone, a rune flared to life.

And excruciating pain put a halt to Sarkhan's assault, his draconic form crying out as waves of magic washed over it, binding it, restricting it.

"As you can see, I came prepared to face dragons." The woman said, calmly approaching the figure that was slowly forced back into the shape of a man.

"I will ask again." She said, sword raised to his throat. "Where is Ugin?"

"To blazes…with you…" The trapped human ground out defiantly through the magic that now bound him.

"Hhhm, perhaps you're not the person to ask." She replied offhandedly.

She turned to the trapped Narset.

"Shall I ask her?"

"NO!"

The word made the three combatants freeze, for it hadn't been spoken by any of them.

Turning in the direction of the voice, the intruder found a young girl staring at her through teary eyes.

"Oh? What have we here?"

"Stop hurting them!" The girl cried out. "Leave us alone!"

"Ruby, no…" Narset said in undisguised concern.

"You foolish brat…" Sarkhan said through gritted teeth. "Get out… Of here…"

"Ruby, is it? Well, girl, if your friends did not stand in my way, I wouldn't have had to hurt them." The Kor stared at the girl appraisingly. "Maybe if you told me, I would leave them alone."

"We don't know where Dad is! So go away, or I'll stop you from being a meanie!"

For a brief moment, the Kor faltered, looking confused, and just the slightest bit regretful.

Then she began laughing. A long, hard laugh, with a few traces of madness in it.

"Dad? Ahahahahahahahahahahah… Oohh, that's just precious… And how exactly will you do that, girl?"

"By calling my friend!" Ruby replied fiercely her eyes momentarily glowing white.

The intruder only had the time to blink in confusion.

And then she was once more sent flying as a glowing figure slammed into her.

As she staggered to her feet, she found a strange white creature standing between her and the girl, head lowered and cloven-hooved leg scrapping at the ground.

"Get her!" The girl shouted, and the Kirin charged, horns aimed at the intruded.

Growling in frustration, she channelled her magic into the sword, making it glow with red hot flames.

When the beast was upon her, she dodged at the very last moment and swung.

The noble creature let loose a pained, ghastly thrill as the blade bit into its side.

Under the strain of the injury, it collapsed.

"No!"

The girl rushed towards her summon, vanishing in a burst of rose petals to appear directly in front of it.

"No…"

The Kirin whined, sensing her distress. It was alive, but injured.

"It was a good effort, I will give you that." The woman commented. "But you're too green and unexperienced, and you're summon is too weak. You are millennia too early to be able to stand up to me."

"Leave… the girl… Alone…"

"She has nothing to do with this, leave her be."

"I don't think I will, no" The Kor replied. "I just dawned on me that you were telling the truth about not knowing where that overgrown lizard went. Still, you were fighting to protect her, weren't you? That means that Ugin has some interest in her, and that means he'll come to me if I have her."

She turned to the sobbing girl, a smile that was not reassuring in the slightest on her face.

"You're coming with me, little girl." She said as she approached.

Ruby did not listen.

In her young mind, this was all wrong.

Sarkhan and Auntie Narset were hurt. Her friend was hurt.

All because of the Mean Lady.

She had tried to talk things out, she had tried to fight.

But the Mean Lady just kept on being mean.

As Ruby looked up, she saw the woman reaching out to grab her.

The sight caused her to freeze in fear, a strange sense of dreadful familiarity surrounding her as despair set in.

But in that despair, a new feeling settled in.

This was wrong, and Ruby didn't like it.

She did not want to feel like this again. She was _angry_ that she had to feel like this again.

She called upon the magic as she had been taught.

Only, in her growing anger, what answered was not White.

But Red.

The red-cloaked girl took in a big gulp of air.

The mean lady raised an eyebrow…

…Then the other quickly followed as the girl spat a burst of white-hot flames at her.

The woman staggered back, crying out in genuine pain as the fire washed over her. Sarkhan and Narset could only watch wide-eyed as, for the briefest of moments, their small charge managed to push the intruder back.

For the briefest of moments.

Then the Kor's surprise passed. With a struggling wave of her hand, a glyph-covered pillar rose from the ground, the glowing symbols siphoning off the flames.

She stood, singed, but mostly unarmed, and all the more enraged.

"You. Little. BRAT!" She bellowed. "You'll pay for that!"

"No." Another voice stated, low and collected. "She will not."

A wave of pure force washed over the woman, carrying her upwards and slamming her into the far wall of the Sanctum, where she crashed with significant force. And before gravity took old, ethereal chains forged of arcane symbols burst into existence around her form, binding her into place.

Under the new presence that made itself known, the ground released Narset, the glyphic rocks keeping Sarkhan trapped crumbled to dust, and the wound of the Kirin slowly but steadily began to heal.

"Daddy!" The little girl cheered happily.

Shaking off her disorientation, the intruder made to glare at the new arrival… And found her rage briefly crumbling.

Millennia had passed since she had last seen him, but she had remembered vividly the image of her one-time ally.

Ethereal. Wise. Ancient. Powerful. Serene.

But in all the time she had met him, never before had she seen Ugin look all of these things…

…And at the same time so utterly furious.

"What is the meaning of this, Nahiri?" The Spirit Dragon demanded, his voice like that of a stern elder who had found a child misbehaving.

"So… you've finally shown yourself." Nahiri hissed, glancing briefly at the girl that was now hiding herself behind the dragon's leg. "Since when have you started to pick up strays, Ugin? Taking a page out of Sorin's book? That will most likely not end well."

The girl flinched under the Kor's gaze, and Ugin was not amused.

"That is none of your concern, lithomancer. I sent Sorin to find you. Where is he?"

"Oh, I would love to know that myself." She sneered. "We have a lot of catching up to do when I find him…"

"Speak sense, you vague thing. Much has happened. The seal failed. The Eldrazi were released."

"Oh, So you were keeping track of things. You do know what happened. Where were you then, Oh Mighty Spirit Dragon? Where were you while MY world crumbled to dust?" The Kor all but hissed.

"Such petulant bitterness is quite unlike you, Nahiri." The dragon retorted, uncaring for the provocations. "You were as absent as I in these matters."

The Lithomancer looked as if she was physically struck by the words.

"Y-y-you…" She sputtered, her whole body trembling in barely restrained rage.

"HOW DARE YOU?! How DARE you accuse ME of inaction?! ME?! I spent MILLENNIA as the jailer of those monsters! I was forced to watch as the horrors they wrought faded from memory and MY people start to see them as Gods! As they started to see ME as their Herald! I ALONE stood vigil, watching for threats inside and out, while you and Sorin walked across the planes as you damn well pleased! And when the Eldrazi first threatened to break free, the ONE time I NEEDED YOUR aid, I called… And you did not answer. You. Were. Not. THERE!"

The alabaster woman deflated, her burning rage giving way to a weary sorrow.

"…Why weren't you there, Ugin?" She all but whispered. "Why didn't you answer…?"

"I could not." Ugin answered. "Shortly after we parted ways millennia ago, I was attacked and bested in combat by Nicol Bolas."

"…Bolas? What did he want with you?"

"At the time, I thought he found me a threat. Only recently did I realize he wanted my knowledge of the Eldrazi and their prison. The battle took a terrible toll out of me. Only by his actions…" The dragon gestured towards the recovering Sarkhan "…Did I survive. But the recovery took a long time, Nahiri. For a thousand years I slumbered, and only recently did I awake."

"How convenient…" Nahiri chuckled mirthlessly. "If true, at least it's a better excuse than Sorin's. I went to him after dealing with the problem myself, to ask the him the same thing. He rebuked my concerns, brushed me aside, and when I tried to make him abide by his oaths… He imprisoned me, acting like I was nothing but a disappointing child."

Hearing those words, the Spirit Dragon muttered. "That Vampire's damnable pride…"

"You ask why I did nothing? Well, I did do something Ugin, and it earned me a thousand years trapped in utter darkness, without the mercy of sleep that you had. And when that prison was broken, when I finally managed to return Home… The Eldrazi were free, ravaging the land I worked so hard to protect."

Nahiri stared at Ugin with jaded, scornful eyes, her rage reigniting under the weight of the crushing sorrow and betrayal she had felt.

"I trusted you." She said. "I put the fate of my home in the hands of you and Sorin, and all I got to show for it is ashes and dust."

"And so, you've decided to storm into my sanctum, destroying my sentries, breaking my wards, and threatening those under my care?"

"Oh, NOW you care about others?" She spat. "Where was this concern when you were observing hundreds of devoured worlds to study the devourers? Where was this concern for those that died so you could learn? Simple, there wasn't any. You claim to be a guardian, Ugin, but you do NOT care about the lives that suffer for your actions. You did not care when the Eldrazi were trapped, you did not care when they were released, and you did NOT care when Zendikar, MY WORLD-"

"Has been saved."

…

…

…

"…What?" The Lithomancer all but whispered.

"Perhaps the biggest mistake you or I have made, was to assume we'd be the only ones who'd step forward to handle this threat." The dragon elaborated. "A group of Planeswalkers came together to save Zendikar from the Eldrazi. I gave them the means to rebind the Titans. The attempt failed, due to the tampering of another, Demonic Planeswalker…"

Nahiri growled, as she recognized who that could have been.

"…And against all my expectations, the others adapted, changing the Hedron network and trapping the Titans completely in the physical plane. Where they managed to destroy them. Ulamog and Kozilek are no more. And Emrakul has vanished without a trace. Zendikar has survived."

The Kor Planeswalker fell silent, staring at her once-ally blankly, as if her mind could not catch up to the information that had been revealed.

"…You said it could not be done."

"I truly believed it at the time. And then I realized that it was only impossible after the Mending occurred and without the proper knowledge." Ugin replied, sounding vaguely annoyed. "The Gatewatch, as they call themselves, proved me wrong."

"…No. Lies. you lie! I saw Zendikar as nothing but fields of white chalky wasteland. I saw Ulamog tearing through the plane unopposed! There's no stopping the devastation of the Eldrazi!"

In response, Ugin waved his hand towards another rocky wall, and myriad pictures showed themselves.

A white field, whereupon lain the corpses of Titans.

A large encampment stood, housing beings of several species.

A human female, an angel's halo around her neck, discussing rebuilding efforts with a Merfolk sorcerer, a Vampire Lord and a Kor representative.

Outriders patrolling the wastes looking for other survivors.

And life, pure and true, springing from the lifeless soil, slowly but surely.

No… It could not be…

Frantically, Nahiri reached out into the Aether, seeking the bonds she had forged with her Home, bonds she had expected not to find anymore. But find them she did, faint and weak, but they were there. Zendikar was wounded, but it still lived, and it would recover.

…How had she not noticed this?

…Was she truly so consumed by her hatred, so caught up in her thirst for Revenge… That she had abandoned her home while it could still be saved, leaving others to fend for themselves and fight what should have been her battles?

The ethereal chains faded, and the near catatonic Nahiri slumped to the ground, falling on her knees. Slowly, she raised her trembling hands, and for a moment did nothing but stare at them.

…What had she been doing?

Nahiri cried then, cried as the dam broke and her boundless sadness was let loose. She bawled and wailed as tears of sorrow, relief, shame, happiness and regret streamed down her pale face. Ugin let her, knowing that this was required. Narset and Sarkhan did not intervene, now feeling nothing but pity for her. Then a small figure approached the broken Kor.

"Hey…"

Through blurry eyes, Nahiri saw Ruby standing before her, her small, silver eyes shining with undisguised concern.

"It's alright… Don't cry…"

The Lithomancer's shame knew no bounds. She had been willing to hurt this child. She had been willing to hurt an innocent. What hypocrisy…

Rubbing away the tears, Nahiri managed a tentative smile as she rose.

"You're right. Thank you."

The girl beamed at her in response. Then the Lithomancer turned to the Spirit Dragon.

"I…I owe you an apology."

"While I do not approve of your behaviour." Ugin replied. "I cannot fault you for it."

A self-deprecating chuckle escaped the Kor's lips.

"I need to go back." She said resolutely. "I need to go help my world. But after that… I have questions."

"Go then." The Spirit Dragon assented. "We have much to discuss, hopefully soon."

Nahiri nodded at that, then turned to the warily watching monk and shaman present.

"I…I did you much wrong. I am sorry."

A nod from each was her answer. Then she turned to the child.

"I'm sorry I hurt your friend."

"It was mean of you, but it's alright." The youth replied, as the Kirin approached to stand behind her protectively. "He's tough!"

Despite herself, Nahiri smiled at that. Then she turned to Ugin, and the two allies nodded at each other.

"See you soon."

And with that she vanished, gone into the Blind Eternities. A brief silence followed, which was swiftly broken when an ecstatic Ruby turned to Sarkhan.

"See? I told you I could breathe fire!"

 _ **/**_

 _ **Okkkkaaaaayyyy.**_

 _ **Who here figured out the first massive deviation from canon?**_

 _ **Here's a hint.**_

 _ **It is the not-happening of a MASSIVE clusterfuck.**_

 _ **And with that said, I'll be seeing you guys on the next update of BBM.**_

 _ **Toodleloo.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well.**_

 _ **That took a lot longer than I was expecting.**_

 _ **Howdy folks, how's it going?**_

 _ **Imma be honest, I genuinely did not expect this to take nearly 3 months instead of the planned 2 weeks (from early July when I posted that notice in RPBF). I… honestly feel kind of ashamed about it…**_

 _ **But hey, better late than never, right?**_

…

…

 _ **Right, yeah. Moving on…**_

 _ **Here it is, the next chapter of Through the Eternities, one of my biggest (and hopefully best) pieces of work yet.**_

 _ **Before you we move on though, there's something I need to say, which maaaaayyy turn a few of you guys away, and I won't hold it against you if it does.**_

 _ **You see, a fair number of you expressed an interested in seeing what Ruby's adventures, gallivanting across the Multiverse and all that…**_

 _ **Well, I have to come clean.**_

 _ **There's a timeskip on this chapter, and I never intended for there not to be one. Hopefully the contents of this chapter and the flashbacks in later ones will be a suitable compensation.**_

 _ **But I will let you all be the judges of that.**_

 _ **Right after giving the usual props to Chaos Productions for his continued assistance with my work.**_

 _ **There, now enjoy.**_

 _ **/**_

The sun was high in the skies, shining warm and bright over the cliffs of white marble that stretched across the coastline as far as the eye could see, while the sea was calm and placid, small gentle waves lapping at idyllic beaches of alabaster sand below. In one of these beaches, a large wooden post rose from the sands, and a large pathway could be observed, stairs seemingly carved into the rock that rose all the way to the cliff above, and the small village of humble fishermen that made their living in peace in the meadows beyond.

Said village however, was currently deserted, its inhabitants heading down the path, a congregation that surrounded and seemed to lead a curious figure in their midst to the sands below, its form shadowed by the red cloak that encompassed it, edges covered in a silvery filigree.

As they reached the bottom, the people parted, giving way as the figure calmly walked forward towards the post in the sand. An elderly man followed, helped along by a wooden cane and an accompanying fisherman.

As the cloaked being stood, facing the placid sea, the elder hesitantly addressed it.

"Are… are you certain you wish to do this, stranger?"

"Positive." Was the reply, spoken in a surprisingly young, feminine voice. "You have been forced to do it for a while now as I understood it, might as well spare you the troubles."

"Do you really think you can go against her will?"

"I guess we are going to find out."

The Village Elder shook his head, unable to comprehend how this person could be so calm in the current situation.

"Then, I will start. Please forgive us for what we must do."

"There's nothing to forgive in a choice you weren't given." She replied, throwing a sidelong glance at the younger villager who held something with clear discomfort. "No need to chain me to the post, I am not going anywhere."

After a few moments, as the villagers once again came to the silent conclusion that their guest was insane, the Elder slowly walked towards the waves. And as the water lapped at his feet, he proclaimed:

"Oh Thassa! Wise, generous Thassa, Mighty God of the Seas, this humble supplicant beseeches you! Please, accept this offering, that our people may continue to live peacefully in your great domain!"

He turned around then, and while approaching the cloaked traveller, spared them a regretful, haunted look.

"I am sorry, may the Gods watch over you."

"Fairly certain that's a great part of the problem here." She answered glibly.

The villagers all parted then, returning to the cliffs above, and retreating even further inland, afraid of what was to come. The cloaked stranger however, did not move, gaze firmly on the horizon. For a while she stood like that, taking quiet pleasure in the beauty of the landscape and patiently observing.

Waiting.

Suddenly, the calmness was broken by a loud rumbling noise, making the flocks of marine birds take to the skies in mass. On the horizon, the sea began roiling, a large mass of water moving apart as something in the depths stirred.

"Big…" She muttered.

Beneath the waves, a vast shadow took shape, making way towards the coast, the water parting in bursts of white spray as a colossal mass broke the surface, a red, spiky fin swaying from side to side, easily shattering a few abandoned fishermen boats left in its path.

"Biiiggg…"

With a loud, gurgling shriek, the colossal creature _reared_. A massive, crimson, serpentine body parted the waters, the sea spraying everywhere as an armor plated crustacean head rose, rows of monstrous, crab-like pincers clacking as the beast paused, seemingly tasting the air.

Then its crimson orbs fixed themselves on the tiny figure beneath.

"… _Big_ mistake." She muttered to herself in distressed irritation, suddenly thinking that this might not have been her brightest idea yet.

Once more, the kraken shrieked, its limbs reaching for the prey presented to it, as they had so many times before.

Only this time, as the massive pincer snapped shut, the prey darted to the side, and the beast shrieked in disbelief and outrage as the slippery little thing kept evading its grasp, weaving and leaping and twisting between the snapping claws, a game of cat and mouse that the stranger initiated in order to buy time to assess the situation.

For the first time in its life, the gargantuan size that had made the beast one of the most feared dangers of its lord's domain worked against it, and its mounting frustration was readily apparent to the nimble figure in the increasingly frenzied swipes and strikes of a creature unaccustomed to such resistance. For all of that, however, some primal form of caution made the kraken remain in the water, the massive coils of its body weaving and settling into the shallows of the beach as it tried to catch its prize. In its efforts, however, it was keeping its head low and close to the beach. With the cliffs looming above…

If she managed to truly anger it, then maybe…

Suddenly, the stranger paused. With a serenity that looked rather out of place for someone in her situation, she took a stance, one foot before the other, left arm raised before her while the right one swung back, coiled like a snake preparing to strike. Amidst the thunderous rumble of the waves and the defeaning shrieks of the kraken, she reached inwards, focusing until all the noise gave way to silence.

Then, as the beast brought another monstrous claw to bear against her, her eyes opened with a brief flash of silver, and with a calm, graceful gesture the stranger raised her right arm to meet the incoming strike.

And the moment the very tip of the jagged pincer came into contact with the pale skin of her open palm with all the force of a surging sea… it went no further.

The air between the two appendages so ridiculous different in size rippled faintly, as if a placid lake had been disturbed by a single pebble falling into it.

And then the pincer _snapped_ backwards, blood spraying from joints as cracks burst open throughout its hardened carapace.

The kraken shrieked in unbelieving agony, knowing pain for the first time in its life. Its head snaked through the air as it bellowed, its body trashing wildly in the surf, destroying what few boats had so far managed to remain undamaged.

Then its eyes once more fixed themselves on the stranger, a malice that hadn't been there before now shining in them.

Yeah, she had angered it alright.

With a shriek of rage, the beast lunged, charging with all claws at the prey that had dared to fight back.

The stranger stood before the incoming onslaught, with the calm with which one might have been facing a calm breeze. Once more, she focused until the noise gave way to silence.

Then, as the beast was nearly upon her… she vanished in a blur, leaving only a cloud of red rose petals in her wake. And so the kraken, unable to stop its own frenzied momentum, struck the base of the rocky cliffs head-first, in a thunderous crash that shook the whole beach.

The stranger appeared high in the air above, having reached the apex of her empowered leap, and as she began falling, she kept her right leg raised. Just as she was upon the dazed beast, she brought it down in an axe kick.

And the Kraken once again felt an enormous impact as the strike connected with the grey shell of its head, staggering it further.

Using her right foot as a pivot, the stranger then spun in place while swinging her other leg around, a white sheen briefly flashing through it, and kicked it towards the cliff, the graceful motion unleashing a shockwave that struck the rocky walls hard. Already unstable from the Kraken's attack, a large portion of the cliffside collapsed, enormous boulders crumbling into the beach in an avalanche.

The stranger blurred into a cloud of petals, rapidly getting out of the disaster area.

The kraken, in its daze, noticed the threat too late, the collapsing cliff bearing down on it in a rain of boulders and rocky debris, drowning out its surprised shriek.

As the dust settled, the cloaked figure reappeared on the white sands safely away from the rubble, and as the dust began to settle, she saw the beast's serpentine body unmoving, its head buried in the rubble.

She allowed herself a breath of relief.

But the respite proved momentary, however, for the rumbling began anew as quickly as it had died down. And in a swift motion, the kraken pulled back, the plated head bursting out of the rocks with a shrill note of rage.

"…Why don't they _ever_ stay down?" She muttered to herself in exasperation.

The beast still stood, but her gambit had taken its toll. The armor plates surrounding its head were cracked, and in places even caving inwards, blood seeping from these injuries as well as the mangled ruin of its right eye. Reddish foam frothed in its mandibles, brought forth by the monster's injuries and the terrible fury they had incurred. Its body almost seemed to _swell_ , grow as if desperately trying to accommodate the monstrous rage that had just reached its peak.

And to the stranger's distress, she was no longer the sole focus of it, for with head raised high, above even the cliffs, the kraken had glimpsed the village that lay beyond. And with a gurgling shriek, its colossal body abandoned the sea, surging into the sands and seeking to overtake its rocky walls to take its anger out on the settlement. She was under no delusions that she could stop it like this. Not alone.

Thus, she called upon her power. And imagined dragons.

She envisioned a mighty beast from her memories. Lithe, so thin as to almost look delicate, yet in its obsidian scales, fiery eyes, and wings that almost resembled red, translucent stained glass lied a fury and savagery that could set the world aflame. She remembered her awe the first time she had witnessed it, surveying its territory from atop an abandoned chapel like a statuesque guardian. She gathered her power, focused on that image while raising her arms to the sky…

… And in that moment, deep in a dark mountain range worlds away, a summons was heard. And answered.

The air briefly grew distorted. Then a small spark of white ignited into an inferno, and from the flames a dragon emerged, a monarch roaring its challenge to the skies and the beast that still dwarfed its own gargantuan body.

As it manifested, it took a moment to glance at its summoner, who showed it a fond smile.

 _Hello, old friend._

The dragon snorted in reply, then made to take flight, and the stranger leapt, landing on the reptilian beast's back, surging towards the Kraken, the rampaging denizen of the sea still too lost in pain and rage to notice the newcomer in the sky. Its attention was quickly drawn however, for as soon as the dragon's strafing flight had it within range, a torrent of baleful flames surged forth from its gullet, bathing part of the colossal serpentine body in fire, the Kraken shrieking in aggravation at this new offense.

At the stranger's behest, the dragon turned and prepared to let loose another blast…

…But with a speed bellied by its massive bulk, its marine opponent turned and lashed out.

 _Watch o-!_

The stranger's warning came too late, and a pair of monstrous pincers snagged her summon by its legs, seeking to pull it towards the clacking, frothing mandibles.

The dragon gave a bark of alarm, but the thin, almost delicate appearance of the flying beast belied its own savage strength, and with mighty beats of its plated, glass-like wings, it resisted the kraken's grip, pulling away but not breaking free.

It was a tug-of-war that wouldn't last forever however, and the stranger knew it, so her mind raced to find a solution before they got drawn any closer… Idea!

She carefully observed the kraken, gaze combing through every inch of its plated head, every crack and every dent, looking for-

Gotcha!

 _Friend!_

With a call to her summon, the stranger leapt from her place on its back, with a summersault reaching its clawed hand. And there, the dragon helped her gain the required momentum for her plan by _throwing_ her at their fow. Flying like an arrow, she gathered her power, focused with a deep breath…

…And struck at the kraken with a quick, precise jab at a particular spot in its armored forehead. The result was instant, as cracks spread from the point of impact to meet the one that already existed, and the entire left half the beast's carapace crumbled like so much shattering glass, revealing the soft tissues within.

The stranger once more summersaulted, took a deep breath…

 _Now!_

And at her signal, the dragon unleashed a massive gout of baleful amber flames at the exposed area. At the exact same moment, she spat her own blaze of pure white. Amidst the inferno that had ignited as these flames clashed and intertwined, the kraken did not even realize it had perished, its brain matter carbonized in seconds by the searing heat. Its unresponsive pincers letting go of their quarry, it silently fell over, its death throes a scant few twitches that coursed through its entire body before it finally went still.

Now free, the dragon dove, catching the falling stranger in its claws, and alighting a short distance away, it carefully dropped her on solid ground. As she patted the dust and soot off her cloak, the beast brought its horned head down to eye level with the one that had called it to this, all too bright a place, a rumbling growing at the back of its throat that many an unknowing person would take for a threatening snarl from a monster that could and would bite them in half. To the stranger however, it was naught but a curious, mildly concerned coo.

 _I am fine. Thank you, friend._

She communed with the creature, as she reached to pet its snout in reassurance, the rumble intensifying from a coo into a purr, making her giggle. For all the fire and savagery, dragons could be such softies.

Then she took a moment to glance back at their handiwork, and this time she was sufficiently satisfied that the damn thing was not going to get back up again. And that meant that she had done it. She had saved the villagers from the kraken, which meant she could now send her friend back and return to her-

-…Why was the wind picking up like that?

The dragon suddenly raised its head towards the sea, the row of spikes that ran from the nape of its neck to the tip of the tail standing on end, a sign of alarm. And an alarmed dragon was _bad_ news.

As the wind kept increasing in intensity, dark clouds began growing in the horizon, and down below, the sea surged and swelled, the roiling waters bursting into waves so high they almost overtook the surrounding cliffs. Her friend let out a distressed snarl, even as it moved to coil its body around her protectively, providing what defence it could against the gale winds.

As the storm continued to grow in intensity, a disembodied voice rang out, like a peal of thunder…

" _ **TRESPASSER!"**_

…And the sea _exploded,_ a massive column of water surging upwards, bursting and growing and taking a shape. A shape so massive that it took up the heavens and blurred with them, looking partly solid and partly made of a clear night sky. A bright red figure of a massive female merfolk, fish like from the waist down, hair like a mix of fins and octopus tentacles, and eyes, as deeply blue as the roiling sea itself, glaring down at her from a face that was naught but a sneer of pure hatred.

Man, she had been in trouble before, but this must be some sort of new record…

" _ **I SEE YOU, LITTLE ONE."**_ The figure hissed in a boom. _**"I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE, NOW. AN INTRUDER, A BLASPHEMER THAT HAS NO PLACE IN THIS WORLD, LIKE THE REST OF YOUR MISBEGOTTEN ILK! YOU WOULD DISRESPECT THE GODS AS THEY DID? YOU WOULD DENY MY JUDGEMENT OF THOSE WHO HAVE FOOLISHLY FOLLOWED YOUR EXAMPLE?! NO MATTER. THEIR TIME WILL COME, BUT NOW YOU WILL SUFFER IN THEIR PLACE!"**_

The enraged deity raised her arms, and the sea surged, bubbling and bursting and growing into shapes that made the kraken she had just slain seem puny by comparison.

" _ **DESTROY HER, MY CHIL-"**_

" _ **That is enough, Thassa."**_

A calm, echoing voice cut through the wrathful rumble, and the God of the Sea stilled, eyes widening in shock as the power she was calling upon failed her, the seas almost freezing in place and the beast of the depths she was summoning dispersing back into nothing.

On the opposite side of the horizon, the sky _split open_ , tearing apart to show the cosmos beyond. A tear in reality that grew and expanded, until it took the outline of a cloaked figure with four arms, two bright glowing stars for eyes.

" _ **It is time to stop."**_ The newly arrived deity declared.

" _ **KRUPHIX, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"**_ The God of the Sea shouted in shocked rage. _**"WHY DO YOU STOP ME? THIS MORTAL DISRESPECTS US! SHE HAS KILLED MY CHILD AND-"**_

" _ **It was I who sent this mortal to stop your kraken."**_ The God of Horizons interrupted bluntly, cutting Thassa's enraged rant into an outraged sputter. _**"You send out your children to strike at the mortals for the smallest slight, real or imagined, with ever less rhyme or reason to it. These villagers had not tribute for you, simply because you did not grant them to bounty that they could offer back. Do they deserve to be sent on the way to Erebus for that?"**_

" _ **YOU WOULD CONFER WITH ONE OF THEM?!"**_ Thassa reply, pointing towards the stranger in disgust. _**"THEY ARE THE REASON OF OUR PLIGHT, KRUPHIX, THEY'RE THE ONES TO BLAME FOR-!"**_

" _ **There is nothing to blame, except for the actions of our own. It saddens me greatly that you out of all of us are too blind to see it."**_ Kruphix replied, before heaving a weary sigh. _**"Your anger is not entirely without reason, Thassa, but I had hoped that the passage of time would curb it. Instead it has just made it worse, and now you leave me no choice but to take action. Leave, Thassa, leave and stop your persecution of the mortals. Or I will convoke the Silence, and tell the others you are to blame."**_

The God of the Sea recoiled as if struck, her anger fading for the first since her abrupt appearance to briefly make way for wary alarm.

" _ **YOU CAN'T DO THAT! WHY, WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THE SIDE OF THE-?!"**_

" _ **I can, and I will. I do not take sides, Thassa, I merely follow wisdom. Leave,**_ **now."**

For a few moments, the God of the Sea stood frozen in uncertainty before the steely gaze of the God of Horizons, trembling in impotent rage. Her eyes met the stranger's, and she saw in them nothing but pure hatred for her very existence, a hatred that would _destroy_ her if the other deity hadn't protected her. Then, with a snarl of rage, the God of the Sea _burst,_ her form dissolving back into water that fell back into the sea. With her departure, the storm faded, and the winds calmed, the land once more regaining its peaceful, idyllic appearance.

The stranger let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

" _ **It is done."**_ The remaining deity proclaimed, before its gaze fell on her. _**"Now then, I believe we have matters to discuss, Ruby Rose."**_

A massive hand descended from the heavens, by some strange trick of perspective shrinking as it approached, until it reached her level, big enough for her to comfortably stand in.

Gulping once in hesitation, Ruby left the relative safety of her summon. Patting its head reassuringly, she dismissed the dragon back to where it came, its massive form vanishing in motes of white light.

Then she took a step into the God's hand… and both of them vanished, leaving only a gentle breeze in the winds. And it was only then, that the villagers dared to leave their hideouts, and witness the scene that was left.

They were free.

The wrath of Thassa had been curbed, her fallen, still burning kraken would provide them with food for months to come, and never again would they live in fear of the God's whim.

That village never new anything but calm and abundance since. And never would they forget the cloaked child that had challenged the Gods for them.

/

The moment Ruby had solid ground under her feet again, she shook her head to try to get rid of the disorientation she was feeling. Planeswalking she could deal with, but getting carried around metaphysical realms by the deities living in them was, as she just found out, another beast entirely. Once she made sure she wasn't about to topple over, she opened her eyes to assess her new surroundings, and found herself on a small meadow, not too different from where she'd been just moments ago, except here she could see, far in the distance, a pair of enormous trees, their branches intertwining to form a great arch, and all around her she could see the sea, pouring down into an unobservable abyss in massive waterfalls.

If she recalled what she'd learned from this plane properly, right now she was at the quite literal edge of the world. And facing the endless, mist-covered abyss, a figure sat upon a small boulder, like a piece of the night's sky fallen to the earth. With a moment's hesitation, the red-cloaked girl approached.

The contrast of what she had just witnessed and what she now saw felt incredibly jarring for the young planeswalker. Not a few moments ago, this being was so large that the skies barely seemed able to contain him as he laid down his authority with a presence that brooked no arguments to his divine will. Now, though? Now, as he was humbly slumped upon a mundane rock, quietly peering into the beyond, and Ruby suspected, things she had no way of perceiving, Kruphix, the God of Horizons just looked… Old. Old, and so very tired…

" _ **Forgive my brethren**_." The God said, as soon as she approached, in an echoing, whispering tone that sounded just as weary as he looked. _**"They are not always so aggressive."**_

"She, …" The girl hesitated, unsure in how to reply. "Really seemed to have it out for me…"

" _ **Thassa was not always this… Volatile."**_ The God replied with a sigh. _**"Years ago, one of us wronged one of your kind, killing her after she gave everything to save our world from chaos. Her companion, also like you, then spend a long time spreading to the mortals the idea that they didn't need us, that they should be free to decide their own paths."**_

There was a small pause, as the God seemed to be collecting his thoughts.

" _ **I will not claim to know whether he was right or wrong, ironic as that may be, but over time, his ideas took root. With each passing year, our worshippers became less, and we in turn… are now less. Our power wanes, our influence fades. We are less than what we were, for we can only be what we are expected to be."**_

"That… Sounds rough…?" Ruby said lamely, immediately kicking herself for the stupid words.

" _ **And Thassa…"**_ The God continued unperturbed. _ **"During these events, another like you tricked her, stealing away a piece of her very being, and leaving her to feel the consequences of what transpired more harshly than any of us. She now desperately clings to whatever she still has, not realizing that the more she tightens her hold, the more it slips through her fingers. I suspect she won't be able to manifest in the way she just did for a long time to come."**_

"So, even Gods fear the end…?"

" _ **The mortals know what happens when they die. At least on this plane, they have the Underworld waiting for them. What do you think would happen to a God, when nobody expects anything of them anymore?"**_

"I… Have seen what happens when Gods die before." Ruby offered hesitantly. "It… doesn't seem much different, for what is worth."

" _ **As you say."**_ The God seemed to concede. _**"I suppose then, that the answer would be yes, Thassa and those of us who act the same fear the end. A similarity with the mortals that is so often and unfortunately overlooked."**_

"What… What about you?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

The God went silent, for a very long while.

" _ **All things end."**_ The God said at length. _**"Time flows ever forward, and even the Gods are not completely free from its grasp. If Gods can die, that is a horizon that will be reached eventually. And whether or not something lies beyond that… I suppose there will be no greater mystery to uncover."**_

His piece said, the God seemed to straighten up, and for the first time since the conversation started the figure that was his head turned to stare at Ruby.

" _ **Until such a time comes, I will keep doing as I have before. And that, is what brought you to me, is it not?"**_

The question startled Ruby, leaving her embarrassed as she only now remembered what had brought her to Theros in the first place.

"Yes, you're right. I have done as you asked, and defeated the kraken."

" _ **Indeed, you have. And as per our agreement, the deed has earned you an audience with me. So, why have you come to see the God of Horizons?"**_

"I… Am looking for something." Ruby started, an anxious tension building up in the pit of her stomach. "Have been for quite a while now. And I was told, that you were a God who knows everything. So, I… thought I'd come to ask?"

" _ **Make your inquiry, then."**_

She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she took the plunge.

"Where… Where am I from?"

" _ **Is that all you wish to know?"**_

"Of course not." She denied immediately, before gazing up at the skies wistfully. "There is so much I do not know about my past… But I figured, that if I knew this one thing, I could learn the rest at my own pace."

"… _ **An admirable approach, and I would not deny knowledge to one who comes prepared to support its burden. However, I must undo a misconception."**_

Ruby's heart sunk.

" _ **I am the God of Horizons, Ruby Rose. Of time and mysteries, the potential and the unseen. By my very nature, I know everything that everyone who has ever set foot on Theros knows, even those of your kind. But even then, even I cannot claim to know everything."**_

"Didn't anyone know?" Ruby asked, clinging to a last desperate hope. "Not even those like me…?"

" _ **No."**_

The young Planeswalker sighed, the heavy weight of disappointment settling upon her shoulders. All of that… For another dead end…

" _ **However."**_ The God continued, a barely noticeable hint of mirth making its way into the echoes of his voice. _**"By my very nature, I know everything a person knows… Including the things they have forgotten themselves."**_

Ruby's gaze fell upon the deity once more, eyes open wide as hope flickered anew.

"You mean…?"

" _ **The plane you seek, goes by the name of Remnant. Look for a shattered moon in the sky, and you will know you have reached it."**_

"Remnant…" Ruby tested out the word, the name she had spent years hoping to find. She had expected to feel joy, satisfaction, and those were certainly there. A part of her that had even hoped it'd help her remember was left disappointed, sadly. However… Honestly it also felt a little anti-climactic. Seriously, what kind of lame name was "Remnant"?

Then, a familiar thought popped into her mind unbidden.

"Do yo-"

" _ **I know only what you know. What became of the girl is beyond me."**_

"I see…" Ruby muttered. Well, she'd take what she could get.

Wait…

"If you know as much as you say," The girl asked, staring at the God accusingly. "Then why did you make me ask? Go through all this?"

" _ **I am allowed precious few amusements while tending to my duties, Ruby Rose. Even the Gods have their eccentricities, and in that, I am no different."**_

Ruby had words she would very much like to say to that, but pissing off more than one deity in the same day was not a record she was looking to break any time soon.

" _ **You have what you came for."**_ The God stated, not acknowledging the irritation that "by his very nature" he most likely knew he had caused in her. _**"I would advise that you seek it out, and leave this place. Theros is not friendly to Planeswalkers, and my presence will only do so much to dissuade those who hold a grudge."**_

That was good advice, Ruby found. And so, she prepared to do just that, but first…

"One last thing."

" _ **Yes?"**_

"My father… usually says that all things end. And that sometimes, that is not the same as dying."

"… _**It is so. Your father is wise."**_ The God conceded with a nod. _**"Farewell, Ruby Rose, may you find what you seek."**_

Ruby nodded back, then she closed her eyes, reaching out into the beyond, and her still body crumbled, braking down into a cloud of rose petals as she vanished from the world in a ripple.

Leaving a lone, tired God to gaze into the horizon.

" _ **May you find what you seek…"**_

/

As she left the chaos of the Blind Eternities back into stable reality, Ruby was immediately met with chill winds blowing all around her, to which she let out a sigh of pleased relief. To most others, the Dragon's Throat was the harshest, most inhospitable place in a harsh and arguably inhospitable plane, but to her, it was home, just like the rest of Tarkir.

This was a stop she needed to make before continuing on her journey.

And with a spring in her step that was decidedly out of place in this desolate tundra, the young Planeswalker trudged down the path, towards her place of residence of the last 11 years.

She passed through all the sentries, casually crossed all the wards, and very soon she was back at the sanctum…

"Hi, Dad! I'm home!"

… A fact she was quick to announce to its resident.

"Ah, Ruby." The ethereal figure of Ugin replied, turning his head from a complex network of jade glowing energy to regard her fondly. "Welcome back."

"It's great to be back!" The girl replied with a grin as she theatrically stretched her arms, before her eyes were once more drawn to her father's spell work. "No luck again?"

"Luck has little to do with it, but no, there have been no results." Ugin replied, with a note of annoyance that spoke of something of a continuous frustration. "Try as I might, even after all these years, Emrakul's presence keeps eluding me. The implications are uncertain, but ever more foreboding."

"Or maybe you're just losing your touch in your old age." Ruby teased.

"Watch it, brat." The spirit dragon replied with a puff of heated air, but no real bite to the words. He had long since resigned himself to the girl's inane comments. "I am not too old to discipline you."

"Yeah, yeah…" The young planeswalker blew off one of the oldest of them with what for anyone _else_ would've been suicidal overconfidence, then swiftly changed the topic. "By the way, where're uncle Sarkhan and auntie Narset?"

"I hardly keep an eye on those two all the time, child." Ugin replies with a small huff. "Last I heard, Narset was off to Kamigawa. Knowing them, Vol was likely dragged along."

"Yeah, sounds about right." Ruby nodded in agreement. "It's too bad, I'd have liked them to be here to hear the news."

"Hhhhhm?" The dragon turned fully to regard her, one brow raised in curious expectation. "Has this latest sortie of yours bore some fruit at last, then?"

"Ah uh!" The girl replied with enthusiastic nodding. "I finally found out where I'm from!"

"Oh?"

"A God of Theros told me, my plane is known as Remnant."

"Remnant…" Ugin repeated. For a few minutes, the dragon was silent, a look of quiet contemplation on his face as he considered the name. "I cannot say I have ever heard of it. It doesn't really match any plane that I know of, much like you did not when I first met you."

"He said… to look for a world with a shattered moon in the sky. Ringing any bells?"

The question was met by an unimpressed look from the spirit dragon.

"Ruby, even in the vast expanse of the Multiverse _that_ hardly qualifies as a common occurrence. And certainly not something I've seen."

'Often…' He amended in thought. The girl did not need to know that the few times he did witness such a thing was immediately before the collapse of the planes in question.

"Fair point." His young charge relented. "Still, for the first time in years I have a solid lead! I can finally find my home plane!"

A well of excitement was building up within her at the thought, at that knowledge that she was _at last_ very close tofinding what she sought, making her barely able to stand still. And her father figure was quick to notice.

"Ruby… What is it you expect to find?"

"Uh?" The girl replied smartly, drawn out of her anticipation by the unexpected question. "What do you mean? I expect to find the place I am from, of course."

"Yes, and that is all well and good, but what exactly is it that you expect to find there?"

Now it was the girl's turn to be quiet for a while, as she contemplated the question. She had been hunting for this information for so long now… and she felt that she was so close… yet only now did she finally realize the implications of that question.

 _What_ was she expecting to find exactly, and what would happen once she _did_?

The girl's hand reached down to grab the hem of her cloak. Even after all these years, she had never even considered parting with it. Even not knowing why she had had it on her that day, when she woke up on a frozen land and was found by her father, even when the wear and tear of time took its toll, she never once even considered parting with it. It felt _wrong_ parting with it, even if she never quite understood why.

…And maybe that in itself was the answer?

The silence was broken as Ruby took a step forward, approaching Ugin, who for his part began lowering his head, so he could be at eye level with her.

She put her hand to the dragon's snout.

"Dad…" She began, voice now somber with realization. "You were the best father anyone in the Multiverse could have asked for. You took me in and took care of me and showed me just how _much_ there truly is out there, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Tarkir has been my home for as long as I can recall, and yet… deep down, I cannot shake off the feeling that there's _something_ missing."

"And you believe you will find this thing, by pursuing this path?"

"I… I don't know." She admitted. "But… Do you remember, the story you told me, of when you first found Tarkir?"

"How could I forget? You didn't stop pestering me until you had your "bedtime story" that night." The dragon replied with puff of smoke.

"I was a kid. Call Azor to sue me." The girl snarked back. "But still, you told me then, that when you first arrived here, that it felt like the plane itself was welcoming you, like your soul had finally found its home. Tarkir has been my home, but…" She hesitated.

"But you never felt like I once did." Ugin finished for her.

"…I haven't." Ruby said at length. "And I don't know if I will when I find this plane, but… What is the place I came from like, and what would I be like, if I hadn't left? These are things I _need_ to know. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like it here or anything, it's just-"

"I understand." Ugin interrupted calmly as Ruby's speech devolved into frantic mumbling, hints of a proud smile in his draconic features. "Ruby, the Multiverse is a never-ending network of intertwining threads. Everything serves a purpose, everyone has a place. But one thing I have learned quickly is that what these are is not always apparent. Many a being goes their entire lives without finding either. And _that_ is not something I ever meant for you. If you feel these journeys will help you find your place… Well, I suppose it is time for the whelp to leave the nest."

"But…" The young Planeswalker hesitated. "You'll be lonely if I leave…"

"Bah, there's no need to coddle me, child." The dragon replied with a snort, waving a claw dismissively. "I've been fine by myself for ages before you came to be. I will be fine after you leave. You have come a long way, Ruby, far from that frightened little thing in the snow. But I am certain, that there's still much path for you to walk. So, off you go"

"…Thanks, Dad." Ruby replied with a grin as she threw her arms forward in a hug which left her dangling in the air from the spirit dragon's muzzle. "I'll make sure to send messengers every now and then, and come back to visit when I can."

"I should hope so." The spirit dragon replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah! So you admit it's gonna be lonely here without me!" The girl grinned cheekily. "You sure you're going to be fine? Maybe we should find a nice lady dragon too keep your old scales company."

"Off with you, annoying little thing."

The unamused dragon blew air through his nostrils, the current blowing the giggling girl to land gracefully on her feet across the chamber.

"Fine, I can see when I'm not wanted." The girl said playfully, before beaming a loving smile at her draconic parent. "I guess I am off."

"Not a moment too soon." Ugin grumbled, before his expression softened. "I trust you will stay safe, child."

"Aaaww, you know you love me." The girl cooed. "Tell Uncle and Auntie I said Hi for me?"

"I will see what I can do." The dragon replied with a resigned smile. "Farewell, Ruby, until we meet again."

"Of course, Dad. I will catch you later."

With that, the girl closed her eyes, and her form crumbled into petals as she plunged into the aether.

Leaving the spirit dragon to sigh warily.

"I do hope she manages to stay out of trouble…"

Although frankly he doubted it. Trouble had a tendency to find her regardless.

/

With the pure aetheric chaos of the Blind Eternities roiling all around her, Ruby sought to focus. She had precious few moments until she _had_ to move, and she took those scant few moments picturing a destination, with the words of a God echoing through her mind.

 _Look for a shattered moon in the sky_

So she did, envisioning a pale, ruined orb in the night sky, and the image that sprang into her mind came with a vividness that was beyond imagination, beyond even memory.

Suddenly, deep within, something clicked into place.

And abruptly, the young Planeswalker felt something, an unseen force tugging at her very core, with a sense of expectance, giddiness, desperation.

The girl opened her eyes, and amidst all the senseless nothing, she could see the eternities bending, as if a method had been instilled into the madness, roiling and parting around her almost as if creating a path.

The tugging growing ever constant on her mind, Ruby once more closed her eyes, took the plunge into reality…

/

"Hhhrhgg, what in the…?"

…And found herself lying on top of a pile of bags.

The smooth, rubbery substance that composed them was unfamiliar to her, but the smell made it fairly obvious that she had landed on thrash.

It took all of half a second between the realization and the leaping and the grumbling and the checking her clothes for any nastiness.

"Eeww! I know planeswalking is not an exact science but _come on…"_

Taking a moment to get her bearings, Ruby found herself in an alley, between two large grey buildings, with a night sky above showing an oddly low amount of stars. Curious, she walked out into the street, finding herself in an odd scenery.

The long, crisscrossed road, paved in some dark substance that a closer inspection revealed to be tar, with lampposts lighting the night without fire, in a way reminiscent of the Izzet. Strange, four-wheeled vehicles dotted the streets, either lying still or moving by some form of artifice she couldn't fathom. Tall, gray buildings, varying in size but generally uniform in design, spread across the city in blocks.

It was like someone grabbed elements of Ravnica and Kaladesh and threw them together, mixing and mashing while also throwing their own spin into the mix. Not the oddest place she'd ever seen, but certainly not an ordinary thing either.

Now the question was, where was she?

The red-cloaked girl looked up, inspecting the night sky… And there it was.

The shattered moon in the sky, exactly as she had envisioned it. As the pale light reflected itself upon her silver eyes, something deep in Ruby felt… Strange. Exultant, yet serene. Rejoicing, yet sullen.

And for a long while she just stood there, mesmerized by the warm, welcoming glow.

Then, as if snapping out of a trance, tentatively she reached out into the world, seeking the leylines and gathering places of mana, and was shocked by how swiftly and strongly she felt them, almost as… it felt almost as if the world itself was welcoming her, as if it _wanted_ her presence.

And at that point, she noticed, there in the distance, the dark outline of a great mountain, so she focused on it, seeking the familiar sensation of red warmth…

…Only to recoil and step back with a gasp as she instead felt something _utterly vile._ A shiver oozed across her back as she felt some old, terrible presence slumbering beneath the rock. She rushed to pull back, and the connection was cut with such abruptness that it seemed as if the world itself was trying to keep her away from the place, as if it meant to keep her safe. She stood still for one terrible moment, looking fearfully for any sign of whatever she had just felt awakening, but to her immense relief her momentaneous prodding hadn't been enough to make it stir.

A shattered moon in the sky, and dark things slumbering beneath the earth…

Just what was going on in this plane?

Deciding she needed to find more information, Ruby began to walk along the street, looking for a building that did not seem closed. Eventually, she came upon a place, where large panels of glass shone with light, and above the large gateway a sign stood. Some form of shop, maybe?

She decided to approach, and as she was upon the threshold… the gates swung open, all by themselves, making the young planeswalker pause in surprise. What sort of magic was this? She hadn't even felt anything.

Curious, she took a few steps back, and with a few moments' delay the gates closed. Stretching out her senses, she approached again, and found the doors opening again. Ah, no magic was in play, probably some form of artifice then. The intrigued girl repeated the process a few times, open and close, open and close, open, close…

"…Ahem."

…Before she realized she was not alone.

Inside the gates, in what appeared to be some sort of jewellery shop, a group of people stood. The frightened, elderly man behind the counter was clearly the shopkeeper, but the group of men all around the shop, brandishing swords and other assorted strange weapons, in what had to be some of the most ridiculous outfits and headgear she had ever seen outside of a boggart party…

"If you're quite done, Red." The leader, a man in flamboyant white clothes and bright orange hair and _seriously just what_ was that thing on his head quipped. "I'd suggest that you be on your way now."

…Yep, she had stumbled into a robbery. What were the odds?

"…Do all thieves around here dress like this?" Ruby couldn't help to ask in mild curiosity as she did the exact opposite of what was suggested and entered the store proper.

"Only the best, kid." Ball hat replied with a smug grin.

"Well, I do suppose you'd have to be the best to go unnoticed in _that_ …" She conceded with a pondering expression, wiping the grin off his face.

"…Kids these days." The guy huffed in annoyance. "No sense of style. Can't do nothing but waste their time away, just as you're doing right now, Red."

The other crooks began approaching, forming up around her while bearing their weapons threateningly.

"Now normally, I am no too keen on collateral damage." Ball hat continued in a tone that conveyed the complete dishonesty of his words. "I tend to see it as a mark of incompetence and far more trouble than it is worth, but it can still happen from time to time. I would really suggest you move along back home, Red, or collateral will unfortunately have to happen right now."

…

…

…

…Not an hour ago she had been fighting a creature the size of half this city and immediately after that she had faced down the wrath of a literal God. Did this idiot _seriously_ expect her to feel threatened by a bunch of crooks dressed half-way like jesters?

But then, by that same logic she _had_ just fought a creature the size of half this city and faced down the wrath of a literal God, and thus didn't really feel much in the mood to pick a fight with ridiculously dressed thieves. Luckily, she had been taught that there were always peaceful alternatives for conflict.

"We are not going to fight." Was her eventual, completely unimpressed reply.

"Oh? And how do you figure that, Red?"

"Because you don't want to."

Her eyes flashed white.

/

Glynda was not sure what she had been expecting when she had been contacted while out on an errand in Vale, but this certainly hadn't been it.

Roman Torchwick and his crew had been attacking dust stores in Vale for months now, and never were the authorities able to catch them in the act. But apparently tonight they had received an emergency call from a store clerk, saying that Torchwick was there, at his store. The Police had mobilized quickly to reach to the scene, and when that patrol car had come across her and explained what was happening, she had been quick to join them as was her duty as a huntress.

As they arrived at the place, a small-time dust store by any definition, they saw that Torchwick was indeed present, him and his goons standing inside the story casually conversing the night away, as if they were gentlemen in a friendly meeting instead of thieves in the middle of a heist.

Glynda thought she and the accompanying officers could be forgiven for their confusion.

"Ah! The fine folks of Vale's Police department, and Glynda Goodwitch herself as well! My, truly I am flattered by such a response to my presence." The self-appointed Master-thief proclaimed jovially as they entered the store, arms open wide as if welcoming them into his humble abode. There was something wrong with his expression, a peacefulness that did not seem entirely lucid… "Timely arrival as always."

She didn't get paid enough to deal with this…

"…Gentlemen, you are under arrest." The woman said at length, being the first to recover from the extremely odd greeting. "Lay down your weapons and come quietly."

"Oh, that is just what we intended to do, Miss Goodwitch. As for the weapons, I'm afraid we are way ahead of you." Torchwick replied, pointing his thumb at a neatly organized pile of the aforementioned items in a corner.

"…Just what are you playing at, Torchwick?" Glynda asked with a suspicious glare, as the officers moved in to make the arrests.

"Oh, I understand that this must all feel very confusing. But as it turns out, as me and my boys were plying our craft in this fine establishment, that kid over there showed up, and she was very persuasive in showing us that this theft and the violence that could have ensued were pointless. With that enlightenment in mind, we decided to stick around until the authorities arrived, so we could peacefully turn ourselves in. Isn't that right, gentlemen?"

Amidst a sea of affirmative replies from the grunts, the huntress turned to regard the person Torchwick was pointing at…

… And for a split second her mind froze in shock.

'Summer…?'

No, that was impossible… But, still the resemblance was uncanny.

The girl, currently by the counter humbly accepting the gratitude and praise of the shopkeeper, was garbed in a red vest, decorated with silvery flame motifs, exposing her pale skinned arms, baggy black pants, held in place by a waist sash, in a style that seemed heavily Mystralian. Despite that however, she was the spitting image of her long-deceased colleague. And the crimson, silver-decorated cloak… Could it be…?

Seemingly noticing she was being stared at, the girl turned to address Glynda, letting the older woman get a good look and her bright, silver eyes.

"Hello there." She greeted politely. "I was just keeping these guys occupied until some form of authorities arrived. Now that it seems like the matter's settled, I think I'll take my leave, alright?"

…

…

/

'No good deed goes unpunished…' Ruby inwardly grumbled, as she sat alone in a small, poorly lit room.

What a way to be rewarded after stopping what were apparently very infamous criminals around these parts, right? And to add insult to injury, she had been forced to sit through that blonde woman's lecture on the "danger" she had allowed herself to be put in. Damn hag was wound up tighter than an Azorius law mage…

Ruby was just starting to seriously weigh the pros and cons of calling this whole venture quits and leaving, just to have the pleasure of imagining the woman's face when she was found missing, when the door finally opened again, and the young planeswalker's attention was solely focused on the man that entered, with the hag in tow. There was… something off about him.

"Good evening." The man greeted politely, after a brief, inquisitive stare that seemed oddly focused on her eyes… "I am sure that you must be wondering why-"

"Why I was apprehended like a criminal despite being the one who helped prevent a crime from occurring?" The girl interrupted with crass sarcasm, clearly catching the man off-guard. "Yes, the thought did cross my mind."

To his credit, he recovered quickly.

"Uh- yes, although I wouldn't quite put it that way. And I assure you, you are not in any sort of trouble. But before that." The man put the plate he had been holding down on the table in front of her, as if handing out a peace offering. "I thought you might be hungry."

Ruby looked down at the offered food, pastries of some sort. Tentatively, she reached out to take one, sniffing at it cautiously.

…

 _Munch_

…

…

…

"Uuh." The man and the hag confusedly glanced at each other, as the girl seemed to freeze after taking a bite of the cookie, for a long enough time that the man began to grow concerned, so he reached to touch her shoulder. "Miss-?"

The girl suddenly sprung forward and held the plate protectively between her arms, making the man recoil back in surprise as she _snarled_ at him with a feral sneer…

 _Munchmunchmunch_ _ **munchmunchMUNCHMUNCH**_

…And began tearing into the cookies with wild abandon, like a hungry predator shredding its prey, a spectacle that the other two occupants of the room could only watch in shocked silence. In short order, the plate was picked clean, and the girl seemed to snap out of her feral, hungry haze with a satisfied burp.

"Hhhuhhhmm… Sorry about that." She said meekly, cheeks colouring in embarrassment at being caught acting like _that_ … "I… actually was a bit hungry…"

"It's quite alright." The man replied reassuringly, snapping out of his surprise and trying to get things back on track. "Now that you've gotten some food in your system, we can move on to other matters. Tell me, are you aware of who I am?"

The girl gave him a once over, blinked once, and then twice.

"Not in the slightest." She ended up stating. Later, when asked, Glynda would vehemently deny that she had failed to contain a snicker at Ozpin's shocked reaction to the blunt denial.

"Uh. I see… Well, then, introductions are in order, then. I am Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"…Why did the authorities send a headmaster to question me?" She asked in confusion. That seemed a bit outside of the position's regular functions, at least in other planes she'd been to.

"Well, my Academy does work closely with the Police on occasions. And given the circumstances, they saw fit to inform us of today's events. After all, it is not every day that someone comes back from the dead. Isn't that right, Ruby Rose?"

… Well, if nothing else _that_ truly proved that this was Remnant and in fact her birth plane. Fancy that.

Still, best to err on the side of caution.

"…How do you know my name?" Ruby asked guardedly.

"So it is you." The headmaster all but muttered, his stare growing somber and curious in equal measure. "I could not believe it when Glynda here told me about it… Where have you been all this time, Miss Rose?"

"Answering my questions with more questions is not going to get anyone anywhere." She snapped impatiently. She had had enough of that crap in Auntie Narset's studying sessions, dammit.

"…I suppose it will not." Ozpin conceded patiently. "My apologies. There is a variety of reasons I know who you are, one of the main ones being that I knew your mother well. You look a lot like her."

…

…

"…My mother?" She all but faintly whispered.

"Indeed. And more over, your disappearance 11 years ago in Patch is a well-documented event. Sadly, in such a Grimm heavy location it wasn't too long before searches were called off and you were declared dead. And it took a very heavy toll on-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Ruby interrupted (to the hag's apparent annoyance and the man's stoic resignation), ignoring the unfamiliar terms. "Back up. I have a mother?"

Her question had an impact she hadn't been expecting. Ozpin and the hag stared at her, eye wide in shock, before exchanging surprised looks as if having some sort of unspoken conversation.

"…Indeed you do." The headmaster replied at length. "I mean, I do suppose you were young back then, but surely you'd remember-"

"I don't." The girl interrupted bluntly, earning another shocked silence from the man and a gasp from the hag. "I don't remember anything from before that night. For all I know you could be feeding me a big pile of lies. In fact, how do I know that's not case?"

Slowly, Ruby saw the shock and curiosity drain from the man's face, to be replaced with a sorrowful seriousness.

"I see…" He said somberly, before glancing back at the hag and giving her a single nod, the woman rushing out of the room to answer some unspoken command. "Well, then, Miss Rose. I'd say that this is a more… delicate matter than I'd first thought. But I will prove my sincerity to you, in the best way I know how."

"How so?"

"Glynda went to make a call. Your family should be here shortly."

…

…

…

"Eeehhh?! I have a family _here_?!"

/

 _She was lost._

 _All around her, there were lifeless, grey woods, as far as the eye could see. She wandered and wandered, and yet the scenario never changed._

 _Suddenly, the creepy silence was broken by a faint, distant sound._

 _Crying._

" _Ruby…?"_

 _Familiar crying._

" _Ruby!" She ran through the ever-unchanging woods, towards the ever-distant sound. She ran and turned and back pedalled, always seeking the sound._

" _Ruby, hang on, I'm coming!"_

 _Suddenly, she tripped on a small thorny root, falling flat on her face. As she groaned and tried to get up, that faint distant crying… suddenly became a lot more distinct. And close._

 _She lifted her head, and there she was. Her little sister, kneeling right in front of her, her face hidden behind her hands and hood as she sobbed in fear._

" _Ruby!"_

 _She tried to get up, but found she couldn't. Her limbs felt heavy as led._

 _And so she crawled, slowly and desperately, reaching for her little sister._

" _Ruby, it's alright! I am here now!"_

" _*sob* Why…*sob*…" The little girl tried to speak between bouts of tears._

" _Uh?"_

" _Why would I want you here…"_

 _The hands parted, the shadows of the hood revealing nothing but a maw of sharp teeth and glowing orbs of pure malice set upon a mask of white bone._

"… _ **Murderer?**_ "

/

Yang woke up with a start, panting heavily and sweating profusely. A quick disoriented look around showed she was in her room.

The nightmare. It had been _that_ nightmare again. A horrifying, recurring nightmare, but just a nightmare. Just a nightmare…

With a heavy groan, the blonde teen allowed herself to once more sink into the bed, before taking a glance out the window, and the glow of the moon lighting up the buildings of downtown Vale.

Just a couple more months. A couple more months and she'd be in Beacon. And maybe then she'd find a way to make the nightmare stop…

Yang realized that there would be no more sleep tonight. Also, her throat was parched. With another groan, she got up and exited her room, heading into the kitchen. Pretty soon, she had a glass of water in hand, and just as she was returning to her quarters…

"And you're absolutely certain of this, Glynda? 100% sure?"

… She heard a voice coming from the living room.

'Uncle Qrow? I didn't realize he was back already…'

Curious, the girl opened the door and entered. Indeed, Uncle Qrow was there, talking on his scroll, with a _very_ serious look on his face.

What was going on…?

"…All right." The dark-haired man seemed to relent to whatever was being said. "We will be going down there right now. But so help me, Glynda, if Ozpin is feeding us false hope…"

He ended the call, then let out an incredibly weary sigh. He looked older than she had ever seen him before.

"…Uncle Qrow?"

Her quiet question made his head snap up in surprise, until he realized she was there.

"Oh, Yang… Hey there, squirt, didn't hear ya coming in."

"What was that all about, Uncle Qrow…?"

She became increasingly more puzzled as Qrow made a face, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know how to do it or what the result of saying it would be.

"That was Glynda. There was… a commotion earlier tonight. Roman Torchwick and his crooks were busted robbing a dust store, and apparently someone had a hand in helping to apprehend them. Ozpin was talking to this person and…"

He hesitated for a very long moment, then looked her straight in the eyes.

"He says it's her, Yang. They found her."

A sepulchral silence followed the shattering of a glass dropped on the floor.

 _ **/**_

 _ **I swear that I only did that cliffhanger because the scene was just way too perfect a place not to.**_

 _ **Get off my case, I already feel like a massive dick for doing this to the family.**_

 _ **So, there's a lot of foreshadowing all across this chapter. I wonder if you guys will see all of it as easily as you did in the last chapter that Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon never happened in this story.**_

 _ **And how many of you will guess all the cards that made an appearance in this chapter.**_

 _ **Well, all in all, that is another chapter done. And now I can finally get started on the next on for RPBF. Hopefully before the year's end.**_

 _ **Cya all on the next one.**_


End file.
